Online Advocacy Quotes

The Democratic Party had no idea how to use the Internet. They treated it like free money and then kept on doing all the rest of the things they normally do.

Twitter's a great way to tell people across the world what I care about and, hopefully, motivate them to join me in furthering my causes.

There are many organizations and individuals advocating for the public interest online - what's good for ordinary people - but other interests are more numerous and powerful than they are. I want that to change. And that's what I want to do next.

The No. 1 thing I've seen actually help with online abuse is when the person has a good community or a strong support network that's savvy and that can help them.

I've been going on Twitter every week going, 'Guys, you have to watch '2 Broke Girls' because it's incredible.

The rules have changed as information and technology evolve, but it's essential that people stay in the streets, stay visible in their communities, on the news, on the Internet, and in this crucial public discussion. There are a million people just like you (or me), sharing the same doubts, fears, and insecurities that keep us from speaking out. Finding each other in our neighborhoods, online, in the streets - this is what keeps us from believing we're alone, from giving in to hopelessness.

Social media is a powerful tool to connect constituents with the policy making process.

Certainly, my advice is that communicating, lobbying, fundraising and engaging the public in policy and politics is far more exciting and inexpensive via the Internet. Old guard organizations like Common Cause had to evolve to embrace this new environment.

I don't know what it means to say that 'the internet should have a voice in Washington'.

The Internet is accelerating the speed of acceptance and social justice.

I absolutely should be on social media, and I think every person who's an influencer should be, and should be doing good things.

Before we had the Internet, I organized a fax campaign against the first Iraq war. We blasted faxes to the hotel where James Baker and Tariq Aziz were having their final meeting before the two sides went to war. Much more recently, I co-founded Avaaz and Get Up, which inspired the creation of Purpose.

In short, individual freedom of speech leads to a stronger society. But knowing that principle is not enough. You have to know how to put it to use on the Net.

Hashtag activism is a catalyst, but things have to actually happen in real life.

It's about using social media for social change: creating a community of advocates who can use their voices on behalf of the voiceless, or leverage their talents, skills, knowledge, and resources to put more children into classrooms, or pressure their elected representatives to get global education top of the agenda.

The way to get people civically engaged, not just during the election but throughout the year, is to tap into Facebook and let them do it with their friends.

I have a twitter, but I try to not talk about things like, "Oh, I had a grapefruit this morning and it was delicious," because, who cares? But, I think it can serve as a platform for talking about things that matter to me, like the organizations that I work with. As pretentious as that sounds, it is true. You can really make a difference, if you can create a following and actually represent who you are, as opposed to how people want to portray you. But, I don't know what the balance is.

I am an optimist, and I believe that people are inherently good and that if you give everyone a voice and freedom of expression, the truth and the good will outweigh the bad. So, on the whole, I think the power that online distribution confers is a positive thing for society. Online we can act as a fifth estate.

I love social media, and it is an important part of how we make change happen. But we can't retweet ourselves out of our most serious problems.

Twitter, it can be said, completely changed the way activism is done, who can participate, and even how we define it.

I've realised that as long as the youth has the ability to use social media, and their voice is there, people can actually cut through the nonsense and see what's really going on.

A hashtag is not a movement.

The two parts of technology that lower the threshold for activism and technology is the Internet and the mobile phone. Anyone who has a cause can now mobilize very quickly.

Anytime I've had a big thing that's ever pierced and cut across the Internet, it was a fight for justice. Justice. And when you say justice, it doesn't have to be war. Justice could just be clearing a path for people to dream properly.

Live what you support online; do things.