Az internet szerepe az alternatív mozgalmak dinamikájában
The role of the Internet in the dynamics of alternative social movements

Summary/Abstract: Social movement organizations (SMOs) articulate their demands and interests through protest actions with the aim of influencing government decisions. For the success of the collective action, all accessible resources need to be effectively mobilized. As the communication sphere changes with the emergence of the Internet, many SMOs use Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) to carry out their objectives. The author of this paper focusses on the role of the Internet in the dynamics of alternative social movements, and investigates theCMC of two Hungarian SMOs: theHungarian “Critical Mass” and the Zengõ-movement. The former’s aim is to promote cycling istead of the use of cars in city-traffic,while the latter was a successful single-issue-movement against aNATO-locator’s installation on the top of Zengõ Hill int he South of Hungary, near the city of Pécs.. The author points out that the Internet by itself is an inadequate tool to build up and maintain strong commitment. Nevertheless, it is capable of communicating the messages of alternative movements. Because of low affiliation costs, CMC helps to gain support for the SMOs but this attachment doesn’t last long.

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