--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Digital activism did not spring…" description: "\"Digital activism did not spring immaculately out of Twitter and Facebook. It's been going on ever since blogs existed.\" — Rebecca MacKinnon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_activism_digital-activism-did-not-spring-immacula_1854625.png" --- # Digital activism did not spring immaculately out of… ![“Digital activism did not spring immaculately out of Twitter and Facebook. It's been going on ever since blogs existed.” quote by Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_activism_digital-activism-did-not-spring-immacula_1854625.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_activism_digital-activism-did-not-spring-immacula_1854625.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/955/rebecca-mackinnon-1815_activism_digital-activism-did-not-spring-immacula_1854625.png) > “Digital activism did not spring immaculately out of Twitter and Facebook. It's been going on ever since blogs existed.” [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Digital activism predates social media platforms; it evolved from blogs and earlier online tools, showing continuity in online dissent. **In simple terms:** Online activism started before Twitter and Facebook. Key Takeaway Recognize the history of digital protest. Themes activism technology history continuity online protest Mood informative analytical Type historical educational When to use this quote - campaign planning - media strategy - academic research Key Concepts digital media evolution social movements platform dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can we honor early digital activists? - What lessons do early online protests teach today? A Different Perspective Early platforms may be overlooked in modern narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [Blogs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blogs/) [Digital](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/digital/) [Facebook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facebook/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Twitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twitter/) ## Related quotes > [My activism did not spring from my being gay, or, for that matter, from my being black. Rather, it is rooted fundamentally in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-rustin/my-activism-did-not-spring-from-my-being-gay-or-for-that-matter-from/) [Bayard Rustin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-rustin/) > [My activism did not spring from being black...The racial injustice that was present in this country during my youth was a challenge to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-rustin/my-activism-did-not-spring-from-being-black-the-racial-injustice-that/) [Bayard Rustin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-rustin/) > [When I first came out there was no such thing as Twitter or Facebook. And the blogs! Like, what is that?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-aguilera/when-i-first-came-out-there-was-no-such-thing-as-twitter-or-facebook/) [Christina Aguilera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-aguilera/) > [I keep in touch with my fans by keeping a blog online and I try to answer questions every day. I also have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-keep-in-touch-with-my-fans-by-keeping-a-blog-online-and-i-try-to/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I do not know of a Chinese blogger who has gone to jail, but I know several who have had their blogs shut down.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/i-do-not-know-of-a-chinese-blogger-who-has-gone-to-jail-but-i-know/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Right after September 11, 2001, there weren't really any blogs in China, but there were a lot of Chinese chatrooms - and there were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/right-after-september-11-2001-there-weren-t-really-any-blogs-in-china/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [One thing is very clear from the chatter I see on Chinese blogs, and also from just what people in China tell me, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/one-thing-is-very-clear-from-the-chatter-i-see-on-chinese-blogs-and/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [It amazes me that we are all on Twitter and Facebook. By "we" I mean adults. We're adults, right? But emotionally we're a culture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/it-amazes-me-that-we-are-all-on-twitter-and-facebook-by-we-i-mean/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [There's no crying in Twitter, that's why you have a Facebook account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-no-crying-in-twitter-that-s-why-you-have-a-facebook-account/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wonder how some people can keep up with both their Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook...I cant even keep up with the Kardashians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wonder-how-some-people-can-keep-up-with-both-their-tumblr-twitter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I run our Twitter and Facebook pages, because I feel it's important to maintain a personal relationship with fans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-smith/i-run-our-twitter-and-facebook-pages-because-i-feel-it-s-important-to/) [Dan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-smith/) > [Twitter is the PERFECT escape from all the Facebook foolishness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billionaireb0i/twitter-is-the-perfect-escape-from-all-the-facebook-foolishness/) Billionaireb0i > [Between Twitter and Facebook I have nearly 70,000 followers, so my colleagues receive the responses. They show some of them to me, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-zille/between-twitter-and-facebook-i-have-nearly-70-000-followers-so-my/) [Helen Zille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-zille/) > [Three Mistake's of My Life . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . Whatsapp...Twitter…Facebook (WTF!!) KapS](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kapil-choudhary/three-mistake-s-of-my-life-whatsapp-twitter-facebook-wtf-kaps/) [Kapil Choudhary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kapil-choudhary/) > [We are the WTF generation: Wikipedia, Twitter and Facebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-the-wtf-generation-wikipedia-twitter-and-facebook/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Rebecca MacKinnon > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [In January 2012, Google Plus started to roll out support for nicknames and pseudonyms, but those registering with a name other than their real-life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/in-january-2012-google-plus-started-to-roll-out-support-for-nicknames/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [It becomes dangerous for somebody who doesn't want their boss to know their sexual preference to use online networks to push for laws supporting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/it-becomes-dangerous-for-somebody-who-doesn-t-want-their-boss-to-know/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [If high-tech companies are serious about doing the right thing, they can join together and lobby for more transparency and accountability in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-high-tech-companies-are-serious-about-doing-the-right-thing-they/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Any new legal measures, or cooperative arrangements between government and companies meant to keep people from organizing violence or criminal actions, must not be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/any-new-legal-measures-or-cooperative-arrangements-between-government/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Every news organization needs a social media strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/every-news-organization-needs-a-social-media-strategy/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Professional camera crews are rarely there when a bomb goes off or a rocket lands. They usually show up afterwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/professional-camera-crews-are-rarely-there-when-a-bomb-goes-off-or-a/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Google's entire business model and its planning for the future are banking on an open and free Internet. And it will not succeed if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/google-s-entire-business-model-and-its-planning-for-the-future-are/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [A number of countries, including Russia and China, have put forward proposals to regulate aspects of the Internet like 'crime' and 'security' that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/a-number-of-countries-including-russia-and-china-have-put-forward/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [You don't have to be a nerd or a programmer or a network engineer to make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/you-don-t-have-to-be-a-nerd-or-a-programmer-or-a-network-engineer-to/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [A moral argument about whether censorship is good or bad deteriorates quickly into accusations about who is more or less patriotic, moral, pious, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/a-moral-argument-about-whether-censorship-is-good-or-bad-deteriorates/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [There's a real contradiction that's difficult to explain to the West and the outside world about China and about the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/there-s-a-real-contradiction-that-s-difficult-to-explain-to-the-west/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [The relationship between citizens and government is increasingly mediated through the Internet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/the-relationship-between-citizens-and-government-is-increasingly/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Consistently, Baidu has censored politically sensitive search results much more thoroughly than Google.cn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/consistently-baidu-has-censored-politically-sensitive-search-results/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [Human rights in cyberspace are really no different from rights in the physical world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/human-rights-in-cyberspace-are-really-no-different-from-rights-in-the/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) [Explore all 206 Rebecca MacKinnon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) ## More Activism quotes > [“God has a way of picking a “nobody” and turning their world upside down, in order to create a “somebody” that will remove the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/god-has-a-way-of-picking-a-nobody-and-turning-their-world-upside-down/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [“All struggles against oppression in the modern woeld begin by redefining what had previously been consideered private, non-public and non-political issues as matters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyla-benhabib/all-struggles-against-oppression-in-the-modern-woeld-begin-by/) Seyla Benhabib > [Joy doesn't betray but sustains activism. And when you face a politics that aspires to make you fearful, alienated and isolated, joy is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/joy-doesn-t-betray-but-sustains-activism-and-when-you-face-a-politics/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“It takes a female to have a baby, It takes a woman to raise a child, It takes a mother to raise them correctly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/it-takes-a-female-to-have-a-baby-it-takes-a-woman-to-raise-a-child-it/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Paul Revere earned his living as a silversmith. But what do we remember him for? His volunteer work. All activism is volunteering in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-j-ellis/paul-revere-earned-his-living-as-a-silversmith-but-what-do-we/) Susan J. Ellis > [Being in service and being involved in something that is greater than you is what makes a person complete and whole. The very first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-moreno/being-in-service-and-being-involved-in-something-that-is-greater-than/) [Rita Moreno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-moreno/) > [“The times do not call for grassroots political activism, as if the next election might be enough to reverse a massive cultural earthquake. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-d-miller/the-times-do-not-call-for-grassroots-political-activism-as-if-the/) Paul D. Miller > [He went to Paris looking for answers to questions that bothered him so. He was impressive, young and aggressive, saving the world on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/he-went-to-paris-looking-for-answers-to-questions-that-bothered-him/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [Poetry is a lousy form of activism; it doesn't really change much. And maybe we can point to one or two historical times when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/poetry-is-a-lousy-form-of-activism-it-doesn-t-really-change-much-and/) [Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/) > [There's a lot of activism that doesn't deal with empowerment, and you have to empower yourself in order to be relevant to any type…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-kweli/there-s-a-lot-of-activism-that-doesn-t-deal-with-empowerment-and-you/) [Talib Kweli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talib-kweli/) > [“Until you find a cause you can die for, you are not worthy to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/until-you-find-a-cause-you-can-die-for-you-are-not-worthy-to-live/) [Ifeanyi Enoch Onuoha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ifeanyi-enoch-onuoha/) > [Ya'll know what you need to do? Get together, make a We Are The World record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-jackson/ya-ll-know-what-you-need-to-do-get-together-make-a-we-are-the-world/) [Curtis Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curtis-jackson/) > [“There is no way to tell if we are the pioneers of a visionary new age, whisking humanity into the high vibrations of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-talat-phillips/there-is-no-way-to-tell-if-we-are-the-pioneers-of-a-visionary-new-age/) [Jonathan Talat Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-talat-phillips/) > [Terence McKenna says, "The culture is not your friend." I am not sure we can change this culture. But I think we can rise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/terence-mckenna-says-the-culture-is-not-your-friend-i-am-not-sure-we/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [“A spirituality that is only private and self-absorbed, one devoid of an authentic political and social consciousness, does little to halt the suicidal juggernaut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-harvey/a-spirituality-that-is-only-private-and-self-absorbed-one-devoid-of/) [Andrew Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-harvey/) [Browse all 820 Activism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Digital activism did not spring immaculately out of Twitter and Facebook. 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