New dimensions of social movement/countermovement interaction: The case ofscientology and its Internet critics

The interaction between social movements and countermovements is a key aspe ct of resource mobilization theory, yet researchers have devoted comparativ ely little study to it. This article uses the conflict between Scientology and its Internet critics as a case study in movement/countermovement intera ction, concentrating on resource deprivation and damaging actions. The uniq ueness of Internet communication, however, requires adjustments to traditio nal resource mobilization theory in order to theorize this conflict, and th is article proposes two refinements. First, the study of Internet movement/ countermovement interaction involves the displacement of the normally-centr al role of the state in resource mobilization theory. Second, a rethinking of the definition of resources to include "virtual" resources facilitates m ovement! countermovement analysis on the Internet.