Article

TXTmob: text messaging for protest swarms

Authors:

John HenryAuthors Info & Claims

CHI EA '05: CHI '05 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems

Pages 1455 - 1458

https://doi.org/10.1145/1056808.1056940

Published: 02 April 2005 Publication History

Abstract

This paper describes cell phone text messaging during the 2004 US Democratic and Republican National Conventions by protesters using TXTmob -- a text-message broadcast system developed by the authors. Drawing upon analysis of TXTmob messages, user interviews, self-reporting, and news media accounts, we describe the ways that activists used text messaging to share information and coordinate actions during decentralized protests. We argue that text messaging supports new forms of distributed participation in mass mobilizations.

References

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Critical Mass Delegation @ DNC (website). http://boston.indymedia.org/newswire/display/25223/index.php, accessed on 10 Dec 2004

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Bl(A)ck Tea Society (website). http://blackteasociety.org, accessed on 10 Dec 2004

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Arquilla, J. and Ronfeldt, D. Swarming and the Future of Conflict, RAND National Defense Research Institute, 2000.

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Bialik, C. Get the Word Out: Protesters, Delegates Use New Technology To Send Rapid-Fire Cell phone Messages Wall Street Journal Online, 31 Aug 2004.

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Bonchek, M.S., Grassroots in Cyberspace: Using Computer Networks to Facilitate Political Participation. in 53rd Annual Meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, (Chicago, IL, 1995).

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deArmond, P. Black Flag Over Seattle. Albion Monitor, 72 (March 2000).

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deArmond, P. Netwar in the Emerald City: WTO Protest Strategy and Tactics. in Arquilla, J. and Ronfeldt, D. eds. Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy, RAND Corporation, 2001, 289--310.

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Di Justo, P. Protests Powered by Cell phone New York Times, New York, 9 Sep 2004.

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Grinter, R.E. and Eldridge, M., "Wan2tlk?: Everyday Text Messaging". in Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI'03), (2003), ACM Press.

Digital Library

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Hughes, K. Criminalizing Dissent? NOW with Bill Moyers, PBS, 2004.

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Mitchell, W.J. Me++. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA and London, 2003.

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Rafael, V. The Cell phone and the Crowd: Messianic Politics in the Contemporary Phillipines. Public Culture, 15:3 (2003).

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Reynardus, J.E. The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) Inquiry Report: Civilian Oversight of Miami-Dade Police and Corrections & Rehabilitation Departments, Independent Review Panel (IRP), Miami, FL, 2004.

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Scahill, J. The Miami Model: Paramilitaries, Embedded Journalists and Illegal Protests. Counterpunch, 24 Nov 2003.

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Cited By

Daffalla ASimko LKohno TBardas A(2021)Defensive Technology Use by Political Activists During the Sudanese Revolution2021 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP)10.1109/SP40001.2021.00055(372-390)Online publication date: May-2021
https://doi.org/10.1109/SP40001.2021.00055
Yuan F(2021)Smart city next-gen social networks system based on software reconstruction model and cognitive computingSocial Network Analysis and Mining10.1007/s13278-021-00807-211:1Online publication date: 12-Oct-2021
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-021-00807-2
Ghoshal SBruckman A(2019)The Role of Social Computing Technologies in Grassroots Movement BuildingACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/331814026:3(1-36)Online publication date: 5-Jun-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3318140
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Index Terms

TXTmob: text messaging for protest swarms
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Collaborative and social computing
2. Information systems
  1. World Wide Web
    1. Web applications
      1. Internet communications tools

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cover image ACM Conferences

CHI EA '05: CHI '05 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems

April 2005

1358 pages

ISBN:1595930027

DOI:10.1145/1056808

Conference Chair:
Gerrit van der Veer
Vrije Universiteit, The Netherlands
,
Program Chair:
Carolyn Gale
Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Copyright © 2005 ACM.

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Published: 02 April 2005

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April 2 - 7, 2005

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Overall Acceptance Rate 6,164 of 23,696 submissions, 26%

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Cited By

Daffalla ASimko LKohno TBardas A(2021)Defensive Technology Use by Political Activists During the Sudanese Revolution2021 IEEE Symposium on Security and Privacy (SP)10.1109/SP40001.2021.00055(372-390)Online publication date: May-2021
https://doi.org/10.1109/SP40001.2021.00055
Yuan F(2021)Smart city next-gen social networks system based on software reconstruction model and cognitive computingSocial Network Analysis and Mining10.1007/s13278-021-00807-211:1Online publication date: 12-Oct-2021
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13278-021-00807-2
Ghoshal SBruckman A(2019)The Role of Social Computing Technologies in Grassroots Movement BuildingACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction10.1145/331814026:3(1-36)Online publication date: 5-Jun-2019
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3318140
Wylie S(2018)ReferencesFractivism Corporate Bodies and Chemical Bonds 10.1215/9780822372981-014(333-381)Online publication date: 2018
https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822372981-014
Wylie S(2018)NotesFractivism10.1215/9780822372981-013(305-331)Online publication date: 9-Feb-2018
https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822372981-013
Wylie S(2018)ConclusionFractivism10.1215/9780822372981-012(279-304)Online publication date: 9-Feb-2018
https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822372981-012
Wylie S(2018) The Fossil-Fuel Connection with coauthor Len Albright Fractivism10.1215/9780822372981-011(247-278)Online publication date: 9-Feb-2018
https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822372981-011
Wylie S(2018)WellWatchFractivism10.1215/9780822372981-010(219-246)Online publication date: 9-Feb-2018
https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822372981-010
Wylie S(2018)From LRC to WellWatchFractivism10.1215/9780822372981-009(191-218)Online publication date: 9-Feb-2018
https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822372981-009
Wylie S(2018)Landman Report CardDeveloping Web Tools for Socially Contentious IssuesFractivism Corporate Bodies and Chemical Bonds 10.1215/9780822372981-008(165-190)Online publication date: 2018
https://doi.org/10.1215/9780822372981-008
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