Understanding Disengagement from Social Media: A Research Agenda
Connective action mundoyang_2013_june
1. Networked Protest Individuals. A
Citizenship Typology of Personalized
Media Use
Presentation at „Protest and the Media“ University of Westminster, London
12-13 June 2013
Dr. Mundo Yang, University of Siegen
3. Research Project >Consumer Netizens< 2011-2014
• Media Diaries (Couldry/Markham) Participation Diaries
• Eventually, 26 persons, diaries (8 weeks long), interviews
• Eligible: persons who consume ethically, and use Internet, at
least sometimes.
• Insights about everyday activities of individual consumer• Insights about everyday activities of individual consumer
netizens, protest, engagement in a wide sense.
• On the individual level: How do citizens engage in their
everyday lives? Special focus on political consumerism,
protest and online-practices. Consumer Netizens
• Looking for many different types.
4.
5. Today‘s Presentation
• Research Question: Personalization and online-
mediatization of protest engagement?
• Two theoretical sources:
6. First, Connective Action Approach (Bennett/Segerberg)
• Individual Level:
Personalization, Lifestyle-Orientation instead of collectivism
• Collective Level:
Personal Social Networks online, as well as offline, instead of fixedPersonal Social Networks online, as well as offline, instead of fixed
offline-organization
• Macro-Level/Organizational Field-Level:
Loose, diverse networks of individuals/issues instead of
mobilization en bloc
7. Second, Masspersonal Communication (O‘Sullivan 2005)
• Specification of terms like network, swarm, crowd, in order
to denote specific communication constellations on the net.
• Different to mass media: Static, dyadic, ego-alter, sender-
receiver-communication
• More dynamic, shifting constellations of ego-alter-alteri,
triadic: you and me, and potentially, everybody else, too.triadic: you and me, and potentially, everybody else, too.
• Typical Example: Jonah Peretti vs. Nike, sneakers with
sweat-shop logo. Publication of personal Email-
Communication via the net.
• Drift between personal and public communication, individual
and mass.
8. • 1. Connective Action Approach (Bennett/Segerberg),
lifestyle-politics, individualization/personalization
beyond collectivism/organization
• 2. Masspersonal Communication (O‘Sullivan 2005):• 2. Masspersonal Communication (O‘Sullivan 2005):
network, swarm, crowd, cascades: More dynamic,
shifting constellations of ego-alter-alteri, triadic: you
and me, and potentially, everybody else, too.
• Beyond mass media: One <-> Many, dyadic
Prof. Dr. Sigrid Baringhorst
Universität Siegen
10. Three Case Studies on
Connective Action, Media, and Protest
• Partial analysis of participation diaries and tape-• Partial analysis of participation diaries and tape-
recorded interviews
• Additionally, analyses of tape-recorded interviews with
two prominent consumer netizens
• --> Typology of four different forms of networked
individualism/citizenship
Prof. Dr. Sigrid Baringhorst
Universität Siegen
13. • Common in the German-speaking Realm
• Campact (~860.000)
• Avaaz (world-wide 15 Mio.)
• NGO-driven Campaigns: e.g. Foodwatch• NGO-driven Campaigns: e.g. Foodwatch
• Organized Connective Action (Meso-Level)
• (Individualized Connective Action (ICA) not relevant, since all
follow E-Signature-Campaigs of NGOs/platforms)
14. Micro-Level-Usage
• 17 of the 26 participation diarists reported
participation in ESCs
• Two theory-driven types according to Collective
Action (ColA), Organized Connective ActionAction (ColA), Organized Connective Action
(OCA)
15. First Type: ColA (6): NGO-People
Framing:
• A) Framework of orientation towards organized milieu:
Active Members of environmental organizations and political
organizations with a sustainability orientation (e.g. green party). Share
collective political consciousness, world-views. Speak a lot in terms of
general values and global problems. Socialization in political
organizations.
• B) Collective Action Frames in online-signature campaigns: Unpersonal
descriptions, emphasis of staging NGOs. Comparative Horizons: Compare
ESCs with the normal mode of organized protest: Rene Rembert organizes
a local e-signature-campaign, but street protest is more real. ESCs is just
a convenient alternative. Markus Breuer frames ESC as his emergency
solution to lack of time, less important than his prior intensive offline-
activism.
• ESCs as second best options, as clicktivism.
16. Communication Constellation:
C) mass media-like:
ESC-Platform <-> Participants
One <-> ManyOne <-> Many
>>At Campact, I have signed a petition for
taxing the rich.
http://campact.de/vst/sn2/signer<<
17. Framing:
• A) Framework of orientation: Personal lifestyle/social network. Various motifs:
Vegan/Vegetarian ethics, animal rights, sustainable job perspective, net-
politics/netizens. Main perspective: Me-my-friends-and-my-family in accordance
with general ethical standards. Avoid doing harm to other people, animals and the
environment.
• Anne Mond about her ethical consumerism #00:17:07-0#:
Second Type: OCA: Organized Connective Action (11)
• >> In the first place, I do that for myself, of course, but of course, too, because I
want to change something, I want to better the world, because like the world is
now, I don‘t like it. I think this hasn’t got a future, if there is no change. If all
people, if everybody thinks, alas, I can‘t change anything on my own and stays like
that, then nothing will change, of course. Instead I have got to say on my own, ok, I
do it now and maybe that motivates someone else, to say: „Yeah, if she can do it, I
can do it, too!” <<
18. Framing:
• B) Personal Action Frames. Lifestyle-centred perspective on ESCs
beyond/without organizations:
• Personal efficacy: Anne Mond „A good deed every day“ and „Many a
mickle makes a muckle“, Happy to be the 83.795th signer (Monicamickle makes a muckle“, Happy to be the 83.795th signer (Monica
Bayram)
• Criticize lack of effectiveness, (Bellinger, Inka Weiß, Monika Bayram)
• Personal needs: Criticism of being spammed (Claudia Maas, Lukas
Bellinger).
• Thematic absence of or explicit distance to political organizations
(explicit Marc Kunze)
19. Communication Constellation:
• C) Additional use of masspersonal communication
social media
• Mobilizing your friends for ESCs. Building personal• Mobilizing your friends for ESCs. Building personal
publics:
• Motives: Counterbalancing mass media agenda, activate
friends and followers for moral issues (Sarah Damm),
20. Comparing OCA and ColA
• OCA=personal empowerment, ColA=self-critical
slacktivists
• OCA-Group: Women play a more leading and active role
masspersonal communication.
• Critical remark: Social Media: >Mess-Personal-
Communication<?, e.g. Philipp Greif bemoans justCommunication<?, e.g. Philipp Greif bemoans just
„cats, ponies, and Michael Jackson“
• NGOs as guarantees for validity. OCA-people active
checking the up-to-dateness, validity of ESCs (e.g. Hoax
or problematic: Kony 2012)
22. • Switzerland: Legislation of restriction Carbon Dioxide-, CO2-Emissions in industries
• Corporate lobbying-campaign of economiesuisse (federation of enterprises) against
CO2-law, CO2-list with 200 supporting corporations
• Freimüller (former Greenpeace Campaigner, now runs campaign service agency)
identifies vulnerable corporations on this CO2-lists with Social Media presence,
selects Mammut, outdoor-manufacturer with sustainable-image strategy
• Posts the following on the Facebook-Wall:
>>Dear Mammut team,
On http://www.mammut.ch/de/cr_sustainable_ecological.html you write about
sustainability and climate protection. How come that, at the same time, you actively
agitate on http://co2.ch/firmen-verbaende.php?id=m against the introduction of the
CO2-law? What a shame!<<
• Starts with max. 50 friends a campaign (only 400 fans). Mammut resigns one day
later from the list. Next step, further corporations on the list. Eventually, the
economiesuisse campaign is abandoned.
24. A case of Individualized Connective Action?
Framing:
• A) Freimüller as part of environmental activism, collective orientation, NGO-
Campaign-Style
• B) Personal Action Frame, indignant facebook –fans, customers, citizens
Communication Constellation:
• C) Tactical use of masspersonal communication, personal communication with
corporations in front of potential mass audience on the Web, but also latercorporations in front of potential mass audience on the Web, but also later
cooperation with print, TV, and other media. Offline-events.
• Picture: Dear Sunrise (Mobile Telefone Company) I quit!
• >>Ten years before, I could have called them, …. What else
could I have done to inform all the people I know?<<
25. III. Raphael Fellmer: Masspersonal
Connective Action
Individual Lifestyle = Public Project:
Prefigurative Live Without Money.
Informs public through own Blog and Mass Media
Strict reuse of wasted goods, DIY,
exchanging, sharing goods and services
26.
27. Framing:
• A) Framework of Orientation: Me saving the world –
without Organisations.
• Epiphany/awakening moment/cognitive liberation and
self-radicalisation during a sailing trip to Latin Americaself-radicalisation during a sailing trip to Latin America
• Originally founded an small NGO, but then dropped it
• NGOs: Problem of means and ends. You need to use
wrong means to achieve right results. (Cooperation
with state and market)
• Ergo: Dropping the NGO-approach, start being your own
idol
28.
29. Framing:
• B) Personal Action Frame:
• Personal perception of social and environmental crisis
• Personal experience of convivial, market-free lifestyles• Personal experience of convivial, market-free lifestyles
on his trip
• Deep personal feeling of responsibility green milieu
• Solution: Consequently, money-free, sustainable
lifestyle
30.
31. Communication Constellation:
• C) Strong media resonance to his Blog and Social Media
activities. http://de.forwardtherevolution.net/
• Coverage in TV, Radio, Newspapers.
• http://bit.ly/xQWu0n• http://bit.ly/xQWu0n
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATmPO6_Nk54
• The Blog functions as a personal public, mixing private
and public concerns, giving practical tips. Blog roll to
10 other Bloggers who live(d) without money (world
wide)
