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Nanotechnology and Online Environmental Activism

Nanotechnology-or the science of technology development at the atomic level-is increasingly being used in a range of industries including textiles and agriculture. While nano-proponents emphasize benefits such as increased food yields and novel consumer goods, nanotechnology has also generated concerns about implications for population health and safety. In this paper we present new research into the online networking behavior of environmental activist groups and the emergence of nanotechnology as an issue within environmental activist networks. In our theoretical framework, online activist networks are structured as fields on which incumbents and newcomers contest the primacy of issues. We empirically characterize the networking behavior of 161 online environmental organizations, and present evidence that subgroups within online environmental networks are distinguishable via their hyperlinking behavior We find that the adoption by online environmental organizations of a new issue such as the contestation of nanotechnology is influenced by factors such as length of presence in the field and socio-cultural/organizational identity. Finally, we consider the impact of a new issue of concern, nanotechnology, on the overall development of environmental activist networks. 2 Nanotechnology and Online Environmental Activism 1. Introduction Nanotechnology represents a textbook illustration of the process whereby emerging technologies are positioned as inherently desirable or as economically and strategically necessary by government, business and academic actors; and as fraught with risk by protest actors. While nano-proponents describe a brave new world of scientific challenges and opportunities that will bring about increased food yields, improved energy production and novel consumer goods, some acknowledge substantial uncertainties about unexpected consequences. Critics emphasize these risks, such as the unknown long-term health and environmental effects of nano-particles on living organisms, or the fact that nano-composites are non-biodegradable and therefore more difficult to recycle. The emergence of nanotechnology provides a unique opportunity for improving our understanding of environmental activist networks. Of particular interest here is the question of why a new issue such as opposition to nanotechnology is adopted or rejected by different actors within the network, as well as the potential impact of this issue on overall network development. Our primary source of data for this analysis is the World Wide Web (WWW). Several factors explain why this new medium is especially relevant to the study of the structural role of emerging issues within environmental activist networks. 3 Nanotechnology and Online Environmental Activism Activist networks such as the global justice movement and the environmental movement are bypassing the mass …