Bettering Your Participation in Politics and Government
Your personal responsibility as a participant in government can be self-determined.
The concerns outlined on this website may not be indicators of the internet as a hinderance to activism, but they may better be viewed as mistakes to avoid, if one cares to. Avoid falling into the trap of slacktivism by balancing your online expression of solidarity to a political/social movement with a donation to the cause, or participation in offline protest. Avoid getting sucked into the spiral of silence by being well read enough that you're self assured in your opinions, while not being so attached to them that you allow yourself to linger strictly in echo chambers. If you even attempt to be receptive to the viewpoints of others, they are undoubtedly more bound to be receptive to yours. Avoid engaging with the disinhibited and offensive activity of others online- your angry reply to a particularly provoking tweet only serves to give it the traction it needs to reach more people.
Practical Suggestions
The New York Times published a very detailed article on how to participate in politics. I have compiled the most important points here, although I suggest you check out the full guide here.
Voting: Prepare early, looking up your states voting laws far in advance, and planning a time and place to vote accordingly. You need to plan in advance so that you can fit it in your schedule, as polling times are inconveniently situated on weekdays.
Lobbying: Citizen lobbying can be effective, as members of Congress rely on constituent opinion to win elections. Call members of Congress, legislators, and local representatives. And make a point of trying to talk to a real person, rather than leaving a voicemail that can possibly be ignored. Know what you're lobbying for and be civil.
Showing up: First, clearly identify your opinions for yourself. Look for others who share those opinions and actively collaborate. Lobby together. Participate in public meetings at town halls, and situate your protests around them if you intend to protest. You may need a permit to do so, so check into this before acting.
Discourse: Concerning political opinion, people are less often swayed by what they read than what they hear. Talk about politics in person rather than on social media. Find common ground as you lay out your beliefs and identify what the other person thinks. An argument becomes about winning, whereas a conversation orients around learning. So listen and speak your mind civilly.
Donating: Do not be afraid to donate a small amount of money, a small contribution is infinitely better than none. When you donate, donate to a cause (an organization that lobbies for a particular issue), a party (your respective party committee), or to a specific candidate. Donate early, and with a clear intention in mind.
Webtools and Online Resources
Use the internet to aid in your political participation and discourse.
- Meetup.com: Go to the "Join a Movement" tab and you can explore different groups sharing your political beliefs, or alternatively create your own. This is a great website for outreach and community exploration.
- Facebook.com: Go to the "Discover Groups" page, this functions similarly to the "Join a Movement" tab on Meetup.com.
- Botsentinel.com: Bot Sentinel is a browser extension that identifies trollbots on twitter via machine learning and AI, ranking accounts on a measure of trustworthiness. This can help you to avoid accounts geared to spread misinformation.
- Disinformationindex.com: This website ranks a variety of news outlets based on their probability of showcasing disinformation. This is helpful to identify where you might be best to consume information about the issues you care about.
- Foundation.mozilla.org/en/initiatives/web-literacy/: A set of games and tools geared at helping the user develop their web literacy, which constitutes the set of skills necessary for responsible and effect reading, writing, and arithmetic on the internet.