ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how political biographies are constructed through social media activism and explores critical questions that emerge on the broader political and social implications of the narratives on the commercial web. It argues that there two fundamental characteristics that differentiate social media activism from other forms of media activism: the personalization and visibility of political participation. The chapter also argues that, within research on social media activism, little attention has been placed on the complex relationship between social media activism, digital storytelling and processes of self-construction. It explains the communication literature on digital storytelling and voice with the anthropological literature on the person and political identity. The chapter shows that, through social media, activists develop a complex personal narrative that is simultaneously shaped by processes of identification and distancing to political groups, as well as by processes of meaning construction of their own biographical experiences.
