Doctoral Dissertation Research: How Internet Engagement Shapes Social Movement Organizational Dynamics

kim VossJen schradie加州大学伯克利分校博士论文研究：互联网参与如何塑造社会运动组织动态数字时代如何影响社会运动组织（SMOs）内部的民主实践？寡头政治（Michels）的“铁律”表明，所有组织最终都会变得更加集中和分层。相比之下，研究网络行动主义的学者认为，互联网允许更少等级、更民主的组织出现。本论文比较了现有的SMOs，这些SMOs都针对相同的问题，但具有不同的在线参与度。该项目以社会运动、组织和新媒体方面的文献为基础。研究方法包括访谈、观察和数字内容分析。核心假设是：(1)数字参与在组织层面上克服并加剧了铁律动态，(2)这种影响受到企业的社会阶级和政治意识形态的调节。更广泛的影响本研究的结果旨在加深我们对民主与技术之间关系的理解。特别是考虑到新媒体在塑造全球政治运动中日益明显的作用，这项研究的结果可能会引起公众、政策制定者和政府的兴趣。研究结果也可能为监管全球互联网接入的政策努力提供信息。

SES-1203716Kim VossJen SchradieUniversity of California, BerkeleyAbstractDoctoral Dissertation Research: How Internet Engagement Shapes Social Movement Organizational DynamicsHow is the digital age affecting democratic practices within social movement organizations (SMOs)? The "iron law" of oligarchy (Michels) poses that all organizations eventually become more centralized and hierarchical. In contrast, scholars of online activism have argued that the Internet allows for less hierarchical, and implicitly more democratic, organizations to emerge. This dissertation compares existing SMOs which all target the same issue but have varying levels of online engagement. The project is grounded in literature on social movements, organizations, and new media. The methodology includes interviews, observations, and digital content analysis. The central hypotheses are that (1) digital engagement both overcomes and exacerbates iron law dynamics at the organizational level, and (2) this effect is moderated by the social class and political ideology of the SMOs. Broader ImpactFindings from this research are intended to deepen our understanding of the relationship between democracy and technology. Especially given the increasingly visible role of new media in shaping political movements around the world, findings from this study may be of interest to the general public, as well as policy makers and governments. Findings may also inform policy efforts that regulate Internet access around the world.