The MoveOn Effect: The Unexpected Transformation of American Political AdvocacyThe Internet is facilitating a generational transition within America's advocacy group system. New "netroots" political associations have arisen in the past decade and play an increasingly prominent role in citizen political mobilization. At the same time, the organizations that mediate citizen political engagement and sustained collective action are changing. They rely upon modified staff structures and work routines. They employ novel strategies and tactical repertoires. Rather than "organizing without organizations," the new media environment has given rise to "organizing through different organizations." The MoveOn Effect provides a richly detailed analysis of this disruptive transformation. It highlights changes in membership and fundraising regimes - established industrial patterns of supporter interaction and revenue streams - that were pioneered by MoveOn.org and have spread broadly within the advocacy system. Through interviews, content analysis, and direct observation of the leading netroots organizations, the book offers fresh insights into 21st century political organizing. The book highlights important variations among the new organizations - including internet-mediated issue generalists like MoveOn, community blogs like DailyKos.com, and neo-federated groups like DemocracyforAmerica.com. It also explores a wider set of netroots infrastructure organizations that provide supporting services to membership-based advocacy associations. The rise of the political netroots has had a distinctly partisan character: conservatives have repeatedly tried and failed to build equivalents to the organizations and infrastructure of the progressive netroots. The MoveOn Effect investigates these efforts, as well as the late-forming Tea Party movement, and introduces the theory of Outparty Innovation Incentives as an explanation for the partisan adoption of political technology. Written by a political scientist who is also a longtime political organizer, The MoveOn Effect offers a widely-accessible account of the Internet's impact on American politics. Operating at the intersection of practitioner and academic knowledge-traditions, Karpf provides a reassessment of many longstanding claims about new media and citizen political engagement. |
Contents
1 The New Generation of Political Advocacy Groups | 3 |
Disruptive Innovation in the Interest Group Ecology of American Politics | 22 |
3 Political Blogs as Political Associations | 52 |
4 Online Tools for Offline Action NeoFederated Political Associations | 77 |
5 Netroots as NetworksBuilding Progressive Infrastructure | 101 |
6 Dont Think of an Online Elephant | 125 |
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Common terms and phrases
action activity advocacy groups allow American politics appear attempts attention Authority bloggers blogosphere blogs building calls campaign candidate Change Chapter citizen Club conservative costs created DailyKos Dean Democracy Democratic develop direct discussion donors e-mail Effect election elite engagement environment example existing field Figure founded funding fundraising individual infrastructure innovation institutions interest interest group Internet Internet-mediated issue leading legacy Liberally limited major meeting membership messages mobilization movement MoveOn netroots notes occurred offers operate organizational organizations participation particularly Party PCCC political associations practices Press professional progressive rankings readers receive remains Republican response result Retrieved role Senate serves similar social staff structure tactics Tea Party term tion traditional turn volunteer vote