From Local to Digital and Back: E-Resourcefulness Among Urban Movements in Poland

Abstract

AbstractIn recent years, websites, blogs, and social media profiles have become important resources for managing the activities of neighborhood groups and wider networks of urban activists in Poland. Via the Internet, residents obtain information, local activists mobilize other community members, and organizers announce various types of local activities and events. At the grassroots level, online platforms help to maintain relations between involved neighbors and to build a common identity related to a given place. On the supra-local level, they are even more important as networking tools for knowledge sharing and the coordination of lobbying activities nationwide. The selected case demonstrates that effectiveness in modern social initiatives can be maximized by combining bottom-up initiatives with the communication possibilities offered by the Internet.