Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement

The Challenge from Online Campaigning and Advocacy Organisations

verfasst von: Ariadne Vromen

Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan UK

Buchreihe : Interest Groups, Advocacy and Democracy Series

Enthalten in: Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" , Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

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Über dieses Buch

This book considers the radical effects the emergence of social media and digital politics have had on the way that advocacy organisations mobilise and organise citizens into political participation. It argues that these changes are due not only to technological advancement but are also underpinned by hybrid media systems, new political narratives, and a new networked generation of political actors. The author empirically analyses the emergence and consolidation within advanced democracies of online campaigning organisations, such as MoveOn, 38 Degrees, Getup and AVAAZ. Vromen shows that they have become leading political advocates, and influential on both national and international level governance. The book critically engages with this digital disruption of traditional patterns of political mobilisation and organisation, and highlights the challenges in embracing new ideas such as entrepreneurialism and issue-driven politics. It will be of interest to advanced students and scholars in political participation and citizen politics, interest groups, civil society organisations, e-government and politics and social media.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Frontmatter

Chapter 1. Introduction

Abstract

Introducing the overall argument in this book. Its core dimensions are that:

Political engagement has changed in the contemporary era.
We need to consider processes of individualisation, and the experiential or everyday nature of politics.
New citizen norms and identities have emerged that prioritise personalisation and sharing over traditional, dutiful allegiances to politics.
The ubiquity of social media in the everyday lives of citizens fosters the development of digital citizenship.
But organisations and political context remain important to citizen politics. New online hybrid organisations mobilise citizens to political engagement.
These hybrid organisations challenge established political organisations with their focus on storytelling-led communicative forms of political action, rapid response strategic repertoires and new approaches to fundraising and membership.
Established political organisations are increasingly turning to digital forms of citizen engagement to re-engage citizens in the political process.

Ariadne Vromen

Chapter 2. Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement

Abstract

The framing question for this chapter is: How have both the new participatory turn and individualisation changed, and how do organisations and movements mobilise participants? It answers this using existing theory and research to bring together studies of political participation with social movement analysis. The mediated and digital context for politics has changed. The chapter provides an overview of the processes of individualisation, new citizenship norms and the realisation of ‘individualised collective action’ that underpin the new participatory turn. While protest politics and social movement societies have become the mainstream they stand in productive tension with individualisation and new citizenship norms. This tension is resolved by narrative and storytelling-driven approaches to political mobilisation.

Ariadne Vromen

Chapter 3. Social Media Use for Political Engagement

Abstract

The chapter introduces new theoretical work on hybrid media systems and connective action, and melds them with the ideas of individualised collective action and social movement societies to understand the context and practice of digital citizenship in the social media age. It also argues that the meso-level of politics—the political organisation—still matters, but that the emergence of digital media has challenged all forms of civil society activism and advocacy.

Ariadne Vromen

Chapter 4. Hybrid Online Campaigning Organisations

Abstract

Contemporary mobilisation challenges traditional politics as new online campaigning organisations are nimble, change tactics and are responsive to moving targets and audiences. Hybrid organisations, like GetUp in Australia, 38 Degrees in the UK, Avaaz internationally and MoveOn in the USA, have developed novel strategic approaches to campaign work, including rapid response direct action and moving traditional offline tactics into an online environment. Complex layers of communication and campaign coordination are simply easier and quicker when based online, due to flexible and decentralised networks, yet it is the focus on creative forms of direct communication with supporters that is an important innovation of politics aimed at digital citizens. The chapter provides an overview of ten years of GetUp in Australia.

Ariadne Vromen

Chapter 5. Storytelling and Changing Values

Abstract

Online campaigning organisations share a commitment to a storytelling and values-led strategy, often understood as a “theory of change” approach. Storytelling is a recognised social movement device and analytical approach for explaining politics via cause and effect relations, through a retelling of a detailed story rather than by appeals to primarily logic and evidence. Stories focus more on how language or rhetoric are used, and reveal the underlying “common sense” and emotional frames used in the delivery of political messages. Online campaigning organisations use a storytelling approach to build their own autobiographical story, or brand, that differentiates what they do from: “politics as usual”, that is, party-based, adversarial politics. This chapter contrasts campaigns where this approach works and where it does not.

Ariadne Vromen

Chapter 6. Entrepreneurial Leadership Styles

Abstract

One way we can see the influence of individualisation is in the development of a new approach to leadership within hybrid online campaigning organisations. Increasingly, a new generation of campaigners are constructing themselves as entrepreneurial leaders who use whatever resources necessary to create political and social change. This chapter shows how online campaigning organisations are challenging the line between traditional notions of ideology in activist politics and the utility of for-profit corporations for social change. Individual leaders within hybrid organisations play a key role in this process as they can be observed moving between, and creating, both not-for-profit and for-profit social change organisations. Through this individual mobility, a “theory of change” agenda becomes more widely diffused within citizen politics.

Ariadne Vromen

Chapter 7. Diffusion and Sharing in the Advocacy Organisation Sector

Abstract

Traditional civil society organisations and interest groups are often bureaucratically organised and slow to respond to changing political and social dynamics. This chapter examines how in reality these organisations have found it necessary to adapt to the new digital context to stay competitive in fundraising and to maintain prominence on the public agenda. In particular, many organisations have been fundamentally effected by the successful emergence of online campaigning organisations. Diffusion through both direct, relational ties have been important in the advocacy sector, as well as the spread and sharing of narrative-driven approaches to politics and mobilisation. Both the transnational development of a network of online campaigning organisations as well as emerging networks due to a GetUp Effect are examined.

Ariadne Vromen

Chapter 8. Conclusion: The Future of Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement

Abstract

In times when progressive political organisations are increasingly constrained, the emergence and consolidation of internet-enabled, rapid response, small donor-funded organisations has been important for citizen voice and mass political engagement. Several areas of ongoing concern are raised. First was whether a personalised story or affect-led approach to campaigning delimits the types of issues that can lead to successful mobilisation. Are all issues of contentious politics able to be personalised? Second is a focus on the actual political impacts of these organisations. Further, do they stay focused on transformational political and social change when leaders move into entrepreneurial for-profit organisations? These organisations have been shown to adapt to and shape the political context they operate within. But is this now crowding out other voices for progressive change?

Ariadne Vromen

Backmatter

Titel: Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement
verfasst von: Ariadne Vromen
Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan UK
Electronic ISBN: 978-1-137-48865-7
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-48864-0
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-48865-7