social netwar / tactical literature

...been hesitating today whether writing about some picturesque / frivolous issues, or going on with the more or less serious ones... yes, i am afraid i am too serious a person, or an avatar, whatsoever...

some weeks ago i proposed to the m0dem list the term tactical literature. it was an answer to the writers´ complaints about the market, best sellers... and it was supposed to be an extension of tactical media [cae, / digital resistance p:3, lovink & schneider, 2002 /...from tactical media to digital multitudes] to the realm of literature. i believe fran has been working on the concept for a while, and we are looking forward to learn about his developments...

Here is another suggestion for tactical literature. It is connected to the social netwar theories developed by rand´s - social / military scientists? - arquilla and ronfeldt [from now on, a+r]. Studying the zapatistas, seattle´s direct action network, and some other "hooligans and anarchists" [sic], a+r, describe todays dominant conflicts as social netwars. their main actors are social networks, and their action lies inbetween the traditional street and cyberspace. a+r call the new battlefield, athena´s camp, as opposed to mars´camp. that is, the battles not only take place in the streets but also in a symbolic level: public opinion, media, cultural networks and hegemony...

One of the interesting things about a+r´s analysis is that it concerns itself with very practical issues. What makes for a social network to work efficently? According to their analysis, this question has a five fold answer: succesful social networks have five different aspects: organization, narrative, doctrine, technology and social base.

So... here we are, social networks narratives are one of the key issues to their success. "Networks like other organizations are held together by the narratives or stories that people tell... these narratives provide grounded expression for people´s experiences, interests and values...who "we" are, why we have to come together, and what makes us diferent from them... stories provide a sense of cause, purpose, and mission. They express aims and methods as well as cultural dispositions - what we believe in, and what we mean to do and how..."

" the right story can help create bridges across different networks...the right story can help create a perception that a movement has a winning momentum, that time is on its side..." i guess if anyone is interested s/he should check the original text [pp:328 and following].

This digital? narratives, that have a collective spirit similar to that of the old myths, could also be connected to Florian Schneider´s and Geert Lovink´s suggestion: "These days a well-designed content virus can easily reach millions overnight. Invest all your time to research how to design a robust meme which can travel through time and space, capable to operate within a variety of cultural contexts", [2001].

In the year 2000, analyzing the d2k protests in Los Angeles, i catalogued some of the new myths/narratives that were used by the movement at the time: Free Mumia, the zapatistas, sweatshops and maquilas, the u´was in Colombia [and their struggle against oxy oil], and the black bloc.

Could we consider all these narratives one of the purposes of tactical literature?

Digital, tactical, collective narratives for social netwar...

love and peace... always better with cyborgs! _ osfa

Posted by osfavelados at February 22, 2003 10:37 AM