The New Norms of New Media: How Advocacy Organizations Engage Members in the Digital Age

Ten years after the popular birth of the internet, it is time for advocacy organizations to take stock of the lessons they have learned from experiments in using digital technologies to engage members and encourage activism. This paper reports on the results found from case studies of three advocacy organizations; the research reveals that staff members are conducting practical assessments of the benefits and drawbacks of new media use for cultivating a large and loyal membership. Though technologies such as email, the internet, Facebook, and Twitter enable groups to claim a large membership based on small actions, staff members understand that such tools can also potentially dilute what it means to be a member and what can be asked of members. To reconcile these trade-offs, advocacy organizations are crafting engagement plans that integrate on- and offline tools and strategies.

Author

• Anderson, Caroline

Language

• en

Keyword

• Advocacy
• Communications
• New Media

Date created

• 2011

Type of Work

• Master's Thesis

License

• All rights reserved

Rights statement

• In Copyright

GW Unit

• Media and Public Affairs

Degree

• M.A.

Advisor

• Hindman, Matthew

Committee Member(s)

• Bailard, Catie
• Livingston, Steven

Persistent URL

•  https://scholarspace.library.gwu.edu/etd/2v23vt47k