Radical Politics on the Net

This paper explores the importance of radical political uses of Information Communication Tecnologies (ICTs) over the last decade in Britain. Using examples from peace, social justice, environmental and anti-capitalist movements the moments of experimentation, innovation and creativity are documented. From these it is possible to identify several emerging trends: the importance of democratic tendencies, representation and image construction, the threat of increased surveillance, and the vital role ICTs play in building transnational networks of solidarity. The central argument of the paper is that ICTs have been used to facilitate what Mouffe has called a politics of dissensus, a celebration of difference rather than a quest for consensus.