Fellows thought bombs

In 1987, three bold, ambitious women in California wanted to create a better way to support human rights activists around the world.  In 1992, a small campaign snowballed from a staff of one single woman into a global movement responsible for a new paradigm for human security. In 1929, twenty-six women pilots met in an empty airplane hangar in Long Island for a discussion on their shared love of flying.

We sit at a turning point. Traditional membership platforms, including online membership platforms used with great success by organizations such as Change.org and Moveon.org, are beginning to display some significant limitations. Allegations of the weaknesses of membership engagement which rely on “clicktivism” are nothing new for the non profit sector, and some organizations have simply shrugged these off as they continue to enjoy high campaign success rates and an exponentially growing online membership.

For the last decade, North American based political activism was energized by the rise of citizen media. Political blogs and Meetups helped make Howard Dean a contender for the Democratic nomination. Social media, email, and microblogging shaped political conversations during Barack Obama’s historic run for President. While mobile tools played a supporting role to the campaigns and social platforms behind these movements, we’re only beginning to see mobile become a central force for political activism and self-expression.