The relationship between crowdsourcing digital activism and cybersecurity

Abstract

This thesis explores the ways activists use crowdsourcing and technology to take collective action. This work draws on both social psychological models for collective action as well as findings from cybersecurity to identify the types of actions being used as well as the dimensions across which they vary. In doing so, this research adds nuance to the social psychological literature on online activism, while also identifying the potential risks and harms of such actions. Studies 1a and 1b generate a database of different forms of crowdsourced digital actions (CDA). Studies 2 and 3 adapt the repertory grid technique to identify and categorise the actions from the database across dimensions, developing a typology of CDA. Study 4, a case study, explores a group using DDoS attacks, one of the more dangerous and direct forms of actions found in the prior work. This study identifies the communication strategies groups use alongside such actions and raises potential pathways for intervention strategies. Lastly, in a longitudinal survey, Study 5 shows how the impact of political failure on perceptions and intentions towards both online and offline actions varies depending upon the degree to which the actions aggressively target outgroup members. In examining the wide range of online actions, and in particular, by considering the radical forms of online actions as a form of protest, this work together adds to the literatures of cybersecurity and collective action.

Date of Award	20 May 2026
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Laura G. E. Smith (Supervisor), Matthew Edwards (Supervisor) & Adam Joinson (Supervisor)