Social Media and the Disciplining of Visibility : Activist Participation and Relations of Power in Network Societies

This paper discusses the relations of power in connection with the use of social media among middle-class activists in southern Stockholm. The method for studying these activists is both ethno- and nethnographic, through participant observations and interviews both online and offline. The theoretical framework is based on late modern theories of reflexive identity negotiation and Foucauldian theories of visibility and power. The paper locates relations of power in the constant monitoring, supervision and negotiation of both ones own and others’ identity on social media platforms. This increasing importance of being updated in network societies will be discussed as a form of network logic. Hence, social media usage has not only been about enabling participation of activists in southern Stockholm, but also about disciplining them to be kept updated, which in turn pushes them towards participating in offline activities too