Social Networks for Social Changes: Case Study of Facebook Group Anonymous Hrvatska (Croatia)

Abstract

Two-way communication, participation in creating and sharing content on the Internet and complete human experience enabled in cyberspace or social media affected the emergence of a new form of culture – real virtuality. Social power transforms and moves to cyberspace. The Internet became the most democratic medium and a framework for updating information on various problems and planning actions in order to solve them. This sets up new aspects of resistance and social organizing. The Internet is a powerful technological weapon, and if used in responsible and proper manner, it can be a meaningful instrument to achieve social changes. This research paper thus investigates social networks as tools to achieve social changes, or means for communication and organization of protests, and in broader sense tools for activism. Beside theoretical background and examples of social networks usage for the purpose of protest coordination and organization and communication among activists, such as Arabian Spring and Occupy Wall Street, this paper presents a case study of the Facebook group Anonymous Hrvatska, which was used to organise a couple of protests in Croatia but which did not achieve much attention. The aim of this research paper is primarily to get deeper insight in the role that social networks play in social movements. Next we try to answer whether social networks are just communication tools for organizing protests or whether they even can be catalysts for changes. Furthermore, the goal is to