Tools Beyond Control: Private Information Intermediaries and the Work of Advocacy Organizations
32 Pages Posted: 29 Apr 2014
Date Written: April 29, 2014
Abstract
Advocacy organizations rely on private information intermediaries, such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, to engage and mobilize their supporters. These private information intermediaries now increasingly determine how citizens and activists engage politically online through the technical architectures and policies they choose to implement — a phenomenon that can often disrupt the work of activists. Interviews with online strategists at several U.S. environmental and climate change advocacy organizations revealed low levels of awareness of this phenomenon, despite its potential impact on their work; substantial dependence on private intermediaries for advocacy work; and a shared sense of necessity to embrace these tools, despite their downsides. Implications for the scholarship and practice of Internet governance and Internet-mediated advocacy are discussed.
Keywords: Internet governance, private information intermediaries, advocacy organizations, social media, Facebook, Twitter, activism
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