Digital Media and Political Engagement Worldwide

2012 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Political Engagement

Transformations in American Political Participation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deana A. Rohlinger
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Small Groups ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Power Dynamics ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Structure And Agency ◽  
Sociological Literature ◽  
The Relationship

The purpose of this chapter is to offer a critical review of the sociological literature on political participation and, in doing so, to underscore the importance of power dynamics to understanding political engagement in the digital age. The author argues that the focus on social movements, the organizations that animate them, and the conditions under which they emerge and decline made it difficult for sociologists to incorporate digital media into their theorizing. A key problem in this regard is that sociologists have not done a good job of accounting for the ability of individuals and small groups to use technologies to advocate for political change. One way for sociologists to rebalance their theoretical and empirical efforts is to think more critically about the relationship between structure and agency and how this might (dis)empower individuals and groups. The author illustrates the utility of this approach by, first, outlining how power shapes whether and how an individual gets politically involved and, then, discussing how power influences the form a group takes as well as its influence in political processes. The chapter concludes with a discussion of directions for future research.

scholarly journals Digital Media and Political Communication in Bangladesh

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Md. Sayeed Al-Zaman
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Political Communication ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Political Community ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Political Pluralism ◽  
Political Events ◽  
Political Groups ◽  
Rational Criticism ◽  
Meaningful Communication

A healthy and democratic political community is built on effective and meaningful communication among diverse political groups and individuals. Political engagement in earlier days was confined to a limited number of people, which often impeded the rational criticism and effective- ness of public policies. In Bangladesh, many people remain outside the boundaries of policymaking. To a cer- tain degree, traditional media failed to bridge the gap be- tween public and political authority. Digital media has re- cently entered into public life and offers various groups a chance to engage in political communication. Even com- munication through digital media has started to deter- mine the fortune of political events in Bangladesh like elsewhere in the world. Therefore, digital media, as a key player in political communication, has to be studied care- fully. In this article, it has been discussed why and how digital media has earned power regarding political com- munication. This study also seeks the state of democracy and political pluralism in contemporary Bangladesh. Identifying three key players of Bangladesh politics: polit- ical leaders, political activists, and grassroots citizens, this article further elucidates the nature of their chemistry in the digital age.

New Media and the Dalit Counter-public Sphere

2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 360-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arvind Kumar Thakur
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
The United States ◽  
Internet Activism ◽  
Web Forums ◽  
Media Systems ◽  
Caste Groups ◽  
Technological Affordances

The recent surge of online mobilization among Dalits, who belong to India’s most oppressed caste groups, signals a remarkable trend in Internet activism and political engagement. Analyzing Dalit mobilization online, this article argues that technological affordances and distinct cultural practices associated with digital media have enabled certain sections of Dalits to resist the dominant caste narrative, thereby contributing to mobilization against caste-based discrimination. However, multiple “counter-narratives” within the subaltern digital sphere and hybrid media systems have placed limitations on unified action, signaling the need to address mediated factional positions and caste Hindu narratives online in efforts to strengthen the Dalit social movement. This article forwards the argument by examining the expansion of web forums organized by Dalits, with a closer focus on a nationwide online agitation that drew reference to the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States.

Understanding variations in user response to social media campaigns: A study of Facebook posts in the 2010 US elections

2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 826-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael A Xenos ◽  
Timothy Macafee ◽  
Antoinette Pole
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Digital Media ◽  
Contextual Factors ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Political Candidates ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Media Campaigns ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Online Campaigning ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Political candidates increasingly have incorporated social media tools like Facebook into their campaigns. Such tools enable supporters to interact directly and easily with campaigns, creating an immediate and relatively informal way for users to respond to candidate messages and publicly display their support. Previous research has explored how campaigns have used social media, or how the use of social media may be related to political engagement. In this study, we provide a systematic analysis of variations in user response to candidate messaging through Facebook. Our results shed new light on the dynamics of online campaigning through social media and engagement with supporters through digital media. Specifically, our findings show that variations in the tone, timing, and content of posts, as distinct from contextual factors, are significantly related to how users respond through “likes” and comments.

scholarly journals Using Online Platforms for Political Communication in Bahrain Election Campaigns

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mokhtar Elareshi ◽  
Mohammed Habes ◽  
Sana Ali ◽  
Abdulkrim Ziani
Keyword(s):  
Digital Media ◽  
Political Communication ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Arab Countries ◽  
Parliamentary Election ◽  
Election Campaigns ◽  
Traditional Media ◽  
Female Candidates ◽  
Female Politicians ◽  
Media Politics

The rise of SNS facilitated politicians with new opportunities to communicate directly with voters. Especially during election campaigns. Twitter provides female politicians with a space to exercise their political tasks beyond traditional media, especially in some Arab countries. Based on the framing theory, this study aims to identify how the female politicians in Bahrain utilised Twitter to present themselves for Parliamentary election campaigns in 2018. The researchers scrutinised the phenomenon using a thematic analysis of n = 263 tweets posted by two Bahraini female candidates. Results revealed that although politicians largely preferred Twitter in election campaigns to reinforce support and mobilisation for political engagement, two selected candidates lacked interaction with their supporters. Thus, the researchers concluded that the Bahraini female politicians have a long way to represent themselves in digital media politics as men widely benefit from personalisation more than females.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document