Web protests and petitions: Do they mean anything?

Over the last week there has been a lot of news about the situation in Burma, and it is unsurprising to find that it is a hot topic on Facebook. Both Allfacebook and Mashable highlight the “Support the Monks’ Protest in Burma” group that was growing at 3,000 members an hour at one point, and at the time of writing this blog entry had passed the 225,000 members mark. Whilst I don't doubt that there are many people in the group that sympathise with the monks' situation in Burma, the ease with which people can now join groups or sign online petitions means that it is necessary to reassess what such large numbers represent. 50,000 people joining a Facebook support group is not the same as 50,000 people standing outside a Burmese embassy, in fact I doubt it is comparable to 1,000 people standing outside a Burmese embassy. The mass joining of Facebook support groups may even have a negative effect on a cause, as it allows people to assuage their guilt without making any real effort.

There is a place for Facebook support groups in the sharing of information and promotion of real-world activities, however if we focus on the numbers too much we run the risk of turning every situation into a Facebook race, where important political discussions are beaten by 'just for funs': Canada vs. America(493,356 members); "I secretly want to punch slow walking people in the back of the head" (424,980 members).