New Models of Citizen Participation: Perennial and the Syrian Crisis – A Case Study

• Main Author: John, Matthieu
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2017
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/stjgs/vol4/iss2/2; https://archium.ateneo.edu/context/stjgs/article/1080/viewcontent/ST_205.1_ST_204.2_202_20Article_20__20John.pdf
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

The development of transnational connections has fostered non-state actors and enabled the rise of new models of citizen participation in the global stage. Nowadays, digital tools offer social activists new means to act. This work studies the case of Perennial, a project led by two Canadian entrepreneurs, whose vision is to master social algorithms of civic participation and turn them into a public resource for all civil society. This study attempts to test if the theory on transnational activism applies to the case of Perennial. It suggests that information flow, skillful individuals, the density of transnational advocacy networks, and digital connections have enabled digital transnational activism, which offers individuals a new repertoire of contention with a broader scale.