Abstract
Loader and Mercea’s edited book on the effect of social media on democracy provides a realistic and at times optimistic lens with which to view research that has emerged regarding the participatory potential of new media technologies. Each chapter in the book for the most part provides insight into a specific subset of digital media ranging from Twitter to websites to traditional news media sources as comparison, giving the reader a chance to consider the various ways in which the political landscape is changing online. The focus on different countries (Finland, Australia and Canada, just to name a few) also helps to create a more comprehensive understanding of the make-up of political engagement in an online world.
In the introduction to the book the editors rightfully point to the complex tapestry woven between politics and social media. While many are optimistic about the potential of Twitter revolutions and communication through Facebook, blogs and more – Loader and Mercea ask: can we engage in personalized politics through social media? The central claim laid out in the introduction to the book is that with more widespread use of social media and Internet technologies into everyday life (i.e. domestication) their potential to shape social situations increases greatly (p. 2). This certainly fits well with the existing literature base on the potential of new media technologies. Drawing on the ever-popular Henry Jenkins, the book posits that we are no longer passive consumers, but creators and participators in the process through social media. The following chapters lay out specific studies in participatory politics online, raising questions concerning ‘user-generated’ democracy that are divided into three parts: social movements, participation dynamics comparing traditional and new media technologies, and finally, digital political participation as a question of stasis or flux.
Part 1 consists of just two chapters (compared to four chapters in Part 2, and six chapters in Part 3). At the end of the section as a reader, I had hoped for more information building on what is often considered an important area and opportunity for the intersection of politics and digital technology. Chapter 2 provides great evidence in terms of the effects of new media use (and more specifically, personalization of collective action) on a given social movement (protests to the G20 Summit in London), while Chapter 3 sets up a more general discussion on the debate about mass media and social movements, while also discussing research that has been done on communicative strategies of social movements as it pertains to democracy. This chapter is well summarized (p. 52).
In Part 2 of the book, titled ‘Participation dynamics: Intersections between social and traditional media’, the chapters range in their focus greatly, covering a variety of topics and countries. Chapter 4 appears to be the set-up for bridging the gap between traditional and social media with a content analysis of online and offline articles about poverty in the UK and Canada. The discussion about the Internet and ‘social media’ (in this case, online news articles) is minimally developed however. The subsequent chapter from Cristian Vaccari does much more to address the social media aspect of the Internet when it comes to political participation by looking at different outlets for online participation in Italy including a primary focus on e-petitions but also a brief discussion of both YouTube and Facebook (pp. 84–85). Chapter 6 continues to develop this argument by looking at social media use through the general election in the United Kingdom in 2010. The authors of this particular chapter, through their study, do well to highlight what appears to be the goal of the book: that using the Internet as a means of increasing political participation is a supplement, not replacement, for traditional news media (p. 92). Finally, this section concludes with an excellent chapter focusing on one of the more popular sources of social media to date, Twitter. Chapter 7, entitled ‘What the hashtag? Canadian politics on Twitter’ by Tamara A. Small asks: Who uses political hashtags? What is the nature of tagged tweets? To what extent does Twitter allow for political conversation and participation? Through a content analysis of a large sample of tweets (1617), Small found that, perhaps not surprisingly, it is primarily individuals using political hashtags, and that they do so as a way of informing and/or sharing what news they read elsewhere. The ability to ‘@’ reply and re-tweet suggests that Twitter is a unique site for conversation (pp. 123–124). This final chapter does well to set up the third and final section of the book.
Indeed, it is Part 3 where the book appears to offer new and interesting insight into the participatory potential of social media in regard to politics, shifting the focus away from traditional sources almost entirely and going back to the key focus set up by the editors in Chapter 1 of the book. Chapter 8, entitled ‘The political competence of Internet participants: Evidence from Finland’ by Bengtsson and Christensen, addresses a long-argued debate about politics and the Internet: does it actually increase participation and knowledge, or is it those who are already engaged in politics who find it useful (p. 132)? The results of their large-scale study showed that while indeed those who were actively engaged offline utilized the Internet as a source of political engagement, 16% of their sample indicated that they were able to become involved because of using the Internet. Additionally, the researchers found that those who engaged strictly through the Internet were competent participants (pp. 140–141). These findings are among the strongest in the book to support the claim that there is a benefit to engaging through social media online.
In Chapter 9, Ward does a great job at the start of the chapter addressing online presence across the Internet – rather than focusing on just one particular location, Ward recognizes that a youth organization can and should create a presence in multiple places, and as a result analyses not just websites but Facebook and Twitter accounts as well (p. 150). This particular chapter/study analysed seven organizations, asking each for Skype interviews, with the research question: How do youth organizations view young people as citizens, and how is this view communicated via their websites and on their Facebook and Twitter profiles (p. 156)? Unfortunately the results of the chapter are hard to follow, with examples given that are unclear, particularly when it comes to what Ward’s argument is about Facebook and Twitter versus websites.
The following two chapters are heavily focused on engaging youth: Chapter 10 is a great chapter on what motivates people to engage with websites, particularly the importance of visual stimuli and why it is important to have a simple interface (pp. 187–188). Conversely, Chapter 11, from Ariadne Vromen, points to how youth-based civic websites tend to have a top-down approach in Australia, and that realizing the potential of Facebook and YouTube in addition to websites to engage youth would be helpful (p. 206).
Had the book ended with these two chapters, I would have felt the editors had successfully addressed their claims about political participation and new media. It is with the last two chapters of the book however that more questions are raised. Chapter 12 from Mascheroni for example, clearly states that offline divides in participation are reproduced and reinforced in online environments (p. 222). This stands in contrast to the results suggested in the chapters previously discussed. With no concluding chapter or thoughts from the editors on how to view these conflicting viewpoints, the reader is left uncertain. Finally, while Chapter 13 from Cohen and Raymond proved an interesting read about pregnancy forum sites and how they offered support and empowerment, the chapter felt out of place with the rest of the textbook, offering little context for its placement at the end or how it fit with the larger scale questions being asked – it would seem much better suited for a book on social support online.
Each piece of this book offers interesting insight into many topics and countries tied both tightly and loosely to political communication. Loader and Mercea offer up many questions to consider when it comes to social media and democracy, and do well in answering most of them through the studies offered. This book is ultimately a good launching point for considering the bridge from traditional to new media, inspiring the reader to consider all the ways in which one might be able to participate both online and offline.