Substitute or stepping stone? Assessing the impact of low‐threshold online collective actions on offline participation

Schumann, Sandy; Klein, Olivier

doi:10.1002/ejsp.2084

Cited by 101 publications

(84 citation statements)

References 71 publications

(105 reference statements)

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“…Furthermore, social media is a source of awareness raising, a tool for rapid mobilization (McGarty, Thomas, Lala, Smith, & Bliuc, ; Rainie, Smith, Schlozman, Brady, & Verba, ; Tufekci & Wilson, ), and therefore a general reinforcement to activism (Postmes & Baym, ; Postmes & Brunsting, ; Rainie et al, ) with positive rather than negative impact on offline mobilization (Christensen, ; Enjolras, Steen‐Johnsen, & Wollebæk, ). However, although it is clear that online and offline collective action engagements are strongly connected, the transfer from online participation to offline is affected by many factors, such as societal ones (Honari, ) or by the fact that individuals consider their low‐investment online actions as sufficient (Schumann & Klein, ). Indeed, some have criticized social media as a platform for easy and cheap ‘slacktivism’ replacing other forms of actions (see Christensen, ; Schumann & Klein, ).…”

Section: Social Media Use and Collective Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, using social media for instrumental purposes had the potential to maintain online engagement and support for the political cause, but it did not have the potential to transfer online activities to the actual physical occupation. In fact, the more respondents relied on the instrumentality of social media, the less motivated they were to participate in the physical protest, offering a plausible explanation why online actions do not always translate into offline protest participation (see Christensen, ; Enjolras et al, ; Schumann & Klein, ). This nicely illustrates that we need to be specific about how individuals use social media, and for what purpose, to ascertain its potential for mobilization.…”

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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The social affirmation use of social media as a motivator of collective action

Kende

Zomeren

Ujhelyi

et al. 2016

J Applied Social Pyschol

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The mobilizing potential of the internet has been widely recognized but also sharply criticized. We propose and test in two studies that the social affirmation use of social media motivates individuals for collective action to achieve social change. In Study 1, we surveyed participants of a university occupation and found that enduring participation was predicted by social affirmation use, mediated by group identification. In Study 2 we experimentally tested our hypothesis, the results of which confirmed that the social affirmation use of a forum (and in particular its interactive aspect) motivated individuals for collective action to achieve social change. We discuss the theoretical and practical implications of our findings for theory and research on the mobilizing potential of the internet.

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Section: Social Media Use and Collective Actionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

The social affirmation use of social media as a motivator of collective action

Kende

Zomeren

Ujhelyi

et al. 2016

J Applied Social Pyschol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Social movements frequently use social media for collective action, and existing research has explored how social media use can mobilize activism (e.g., Kende, van Zomeren, Ujhelyi, & Lantos, ; McGarty, Thomas, Lala, Smith, & Bliuc, ; Schumann, ; Schumann & Klein, ; Spears & Postmes, ; Thomas et al ., ). However, social media activity can fulfil diverse social change functions and scant research has examined its rhetorical functions for social movements, such as how social media may be used strategically to deploy and manage social identities within contested social movements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whose tweets? The rhetorical functions of social media use in developing the Black Lives Matter movement

Wilkins

Livingstone

Levine

2019

British J Social Psychol

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Research on collective action frequently characterizes social media as a tool for mobilization. However, social media activity can fulfil a variety of different functions for social change. In particular, the rhetorical functions of social media use by social movements are not well understood. We address this shortfall by analysing the rhetorical functions of Twitter use during an early stage of the Black Lives Matter social movement. We examine how activists used Twitter to balance competing aims for social change, such as growing the movement beyond disadvantaged‐group members, while preventing appropriation or dilution of their message by advantaged‐group ‘allies’. We find that although Twitter users promote different, and often competing, definitions of the issues that the movement represents, rhetorical strategies are used to advance inclusive definitions that focus on racism. When activists address alternative definitions of movement actors and issues, representations of Otherness are used to characterize the proponents of these definitions as in opposition to the movement. Finally, we find that one way of resolving the tension between growing the movement and promoting disadvantaged‐group control is by using identity and technology resources to explicitly define (1) how different groups can be movement advocates, and (2) action strategies for social change.

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“…Research on the role of positive emotions in the effectiveness of social media activism is mixed. Schumann and Klein (2015) showed that online actions could derail offline actions, but not because participants were simply satisfied by feeling good about themselves. Instead, offline actions decreased because participants believed their actions were effective in enhancing the group's success, thereby negating the need for future action.…”

Section: Positive Affect and Activismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can "slacktivism" work? Perceived power differences moderate the relationship between social media activism and collective action intentions through positive affect

Foster¹,

Hennessey²,

Blankenship³

et al. 2019

Cyberpsychology

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2019). Can "slacktivism" work? Perceived power differences moderate the relationship between social media activism and collective action intentions through positive affect. AbstractWe argue that the often-used critique of social media activism as merely a 'feel-good' mechanism can be countered by conceptualizing social media activism as a necessary type of collective action (i.e., consensus mobilization), incorporating theory on the benefits of positive feelings for activism, and by examining how power may affect these relationships. Women from two different samples (MTurk and university) were randomly assigned to recall a highversus low-power experience, view real-world events of sexism, and then complete questionnaires assessing endorsement of social media activism, positive affect, and collective action intentions. A dual moderated mediation analyses at the second stage of mediation showed equivalency across two samples, at which point the single moderated mediation model was tested on the combined sample. The model was significant, such that among those in the high-power condition, endorsing social media activism was associated with greater positive affect, which in turn predicted greater collective action intentions. Among those in the low-power condition, however, this indirect effect was not significant. This study provides counter-evidence to the 'slacktivism' critique, contributes to theories of collective action, power and their integration, and identifies a possible intervention to enhance the effectiveness of social media activism.

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Substitute or stepping stone? Assessing the impact of low‐threshold online collective actions on offline participation

Cited by 101 publications

References 71 publications

The social affirmation use of social media as a motivator of collective action

The social affirmation use of social media as a motivator of collective action

Whose tweets? The rhetorical functions of social media use in developing the Black Lives Matter movement

Can "slacktivism" work? Perceived power differences moderate the relationship between social media activism and collective action intentions through positive affect

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