Internet use for political mobilization: Voices of participants

Abstract

The Internet has been used extensively for U.S. presidential election campaigns since the year 2000. In 2004, Internet campaigning grew to be more interactive than in previous years. The question of whether or not the Internet is making a difference in political outcomes has become noteworthy, and research efforts have examined political campaigns via websites, characteristics of the politically active population, and roles of the media. Among various campaign forces, activities organized by the online grassroots activist group MoveOn.org have become prominent. This article reports the voices of people who participated in political activities coordinated by MoveOn during the 2004 presidential election campaigns. The data were collected primarily through interviews. The findings contrast similarities and differences between participants in different levels of participation. Whereas most past studies focused on the macro level, this study is focused on the micro level. The article calls for further development of a theoretical framework for collective action facilitated via online and taking place offline.

The Role of Digital Communities in Organizing Gig Workers

“…For example, studies have found that individuals who interact on Web 2.0 social networks are more likely to engage in sustained political participation (Bond et al 2012;Earl and Kimport 2011;Lim 2012;Sandoval-Almazan and Gil-Garcia 2014). Others have found that these interactions are associated with both partaking in public protests and a desire to maintain participation in the future (Hara 2008;Harlow 2011;Ley and Brewer 2018). While this framework has been applied to political movements, like the Women's March and the Arab Spring (Tufecki 2017), it unclear if workers use online networks in a similar fashion.…”

Online social movements

“…In a similar vein, the array of new ICTs associated with the internet (e.g., websites, streaming videos, blogs, voice‐over‐IP, and social networking sites) has assisted numerous contemporary social movements. For example, although so‐called activists have traditionally been the primary participants in social movements, today citizens who may not consider themselves activists are participating in online mobilization (e.g., Hara, 2008). Because of the wide use of the internet, social movements are finding ways to reach the general public.…”

Innovating Government

“…On the one hand, the possibility for politicians to have their own voice sent out of the party and the party's discipline (Hara 2008). In Howard's (2005) own words 'established political elites use database and Internet technologies to raise money, organize volunteers, gather intelligence on voters, and do opposition research.'…”