The MoveOn Effect: The Unexpected Transformation of American Political Advocacy

by David Karpf

Overview

The Internet is facilitating a generational transition among American political advocacy organizations. This book provides a detailed exploration of how “netroots” advocacy groups - MoveOn.org, DailyKos.com, DemocracyforAmerica.com, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee - differ from “legacy” peer organizations. It also explains the partisan character of these technological innovations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199942879
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	05/30/2012
Series:	Oxford Studies in Digital Politics
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

David Karpf is Assistant Professor in the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information, as well as a Faculty Associate at the Eagleton Institute of Politics and a Visiting Fellow with the Yale Information Society Project

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1: The New Generation of Political Advocacy Groups

Chapter 2: The MoveOn Effect: Disruptive Innovation in the Interest Group Ecology of American Politics

Chapter 3: Political Blogs as Politcal Associations

Chapter 4: "Online Tools for Offline Action" Neo-Federated Political Associations

Chapter 5: Netroots as Networks - Building Progressive Infrastructure

Chapter 6: Don't Think of an Online Elephant

Chapter 7: Innovation Edges, Advocacy Inflation and Sedimentary Organizations

Research Appendix

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

"Amidst all the attention to social media, the transformation of political organization is still poorly understood. Drawing on his activist and academic experience, David Karpf not only claims - but demonstrates - that the real impact of the new media environment comes not through politics without organizations but from new forms of organization. This engagingly written book will tell both activists and academics how it is being done."—Sidney Tarrow, Cornell University, author of Power in Movement

"David Karpf's deep understanding of his subject matter is evident on every page of this book: I ran MoveOn, and there are things in here even I didn't know about us. For anyone who wants to understand how new organizational models are changing the advocacy world and politics more generally, The MoveOn Effect is indispensable."—Eli Pariser, Board President, MoveOn.org

"This book provides a thorough and insightful look at the organizational layer of political advocacy in the digital media age. Karpf dives deftly into the depths of online politics in a way that is informed theoretically as well as rich in the details of real political advocacy. He advances a number of new concepts and models for understanding contemporary politics."—Bruce Bimber, Professor of Political Science and Communication, University of California-Santa Barbara

"One of the strengths of Karpf's pioneering work is undoubtedly fueled by his professional background. Because of his roots in both political advocacy and academia, Karpf offers a uniquely and richly nuanced account of the changing political organizations landscape, infused with a mix of practical and theoretical insights. The book is thus highly relevant not only to political scientists and pundits, but to grassroots political activists and Internet democracy advocates seeking to rally citizen support. In the face of the many divisive issues in contemporary society, The MoveOn Effect is no doubt a timely and valuable contribution to our understanding and practice of political organizing in the 21st century."—International Journal of Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies

"Highly recommended."—CHOICE

From the Publisher