METHODOLOGY & RESULTS (INTERVIEW)
6.3 Research potentials
國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
83
6.3 Research potentials
One of the original objectives of this current study is to find out whether political knowledge and political efficacy are effective intervening factors between action online and activism in the real life. Nevertheless, this aspect of the research has not been fulfilled, mainly due to the design of some questionnaire items.
Literature review has indicated that there are strong correlations between political knowledge/efficacy and political participation. The question of whether they may intervene the connection between activism in two different spheres is worth investigating. When designing future study to investigate these two items, it is important to look into the measurement of issue specific political knowledge and efficacy regarding a certain prospect.
Another intervening factor that has emerged in this study is identity. It has been found that identity plays a significant role in initiating or/and maintaining a person’s level of political engagement. This is especially true when the issue in discussion is related to one specific aspect of the person’s identity. The issue in this study is about same-sex marriage. Essentially, it is a gay/civil right issue. Being a homosexual has long been considered a marginalized status in most societies in the world. Various forms of repression that comes along with the issue helps produce a force of resistance that may become a very effective incentive for political action. This should be taken into account when further research is being done about online action and offline activism concerning socially marginal groups.
Finally, it should be noted that the current research findings provide a first step for further investigation among researchers interested in connecting theories of social networks, political activism and social media to create a framework in which more knowledge of how human’s online and offline experiences interact can be studied. It is hoped that with the expansion of research on activism and media,
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
84
human’s desire to voice and communicate their struggle for equality and human rights can be better elaborated and understood.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
85
References
Bimber, B. (2000). The study of information technology and civic engagement.
Political Communication, 17, 329-333
boyd, d., & Ellison, N. B. (2008). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13, 210-230.
boyd, d. (2008). Facebook’s privacy trainwreck: exposure, invasion, and social convergence. Convergence, 14(1), 13-20
Campbell, A., Gurin, G., & Miller, W. E. (1954). The voter decides. Evanston, IL: Row, Peterson.
Castells, M. (1996). The Information Age. Vol. I: The Rise of Network Society.
Oxford/Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
Cerulo, K. (1997). Reframing sociological concepts for a brave new (virtual?) world.
Sociological Inquiry, 67, 48-58.
Delli Carpini, M. X., & Keeter, S. (1996). What Americans know about politics and why it matters. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Delli Carpini, M. X., & Keeter, S. (1993). Measuring political knowledge: Putting first things first. American Journal of Political Science, 37(4), 1179-1206.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
86
Diani, M. (2000). Social movement networks virtual and real. Information, Communication and Society, 3, 386-401.
Fiorna, M. (1990), Information and rationality in election. In J. A. Ferejohn & J. H.
Kuklinski (Eds.), Information and democratic processes (pp. 329-342). Urbana, IL:
University of Illinois Press.
Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78, 1360-1380.
Hampton, K. N. (2003). Grieving for a lost network: Collective action in a wired suburb. The Information Society, 19, 417-428.
Haythornthwaite, C. (2002). Strong, weak, and latent ties and the impact of new media. The Information Society, 18(5), 385-401.
Hollander, B. A. (1997). Fuel to fire: Talk radio and the Gamson Hypothesis. Political Communication, 14, 355-369.
Kenski, K., & Stroud, N. J. (1996). Connections between Internet use and political efficacy, knowledge, and participation. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 50(2), 173-192.
La Due Lake, R., & Huckfeldt, R. (1998). Social capital, social networks, and political participation. Journal of Political Psychology, 19(3), 567-584.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
87
Ma, L. (2009). Slacktivism: Can social media actually cause social change? The big chair. Retrieved October 13, 2009, from
http://thebigchair.com.au/news/water-cooler/rise-of-slacktivism.
McAdam, D. (1986). Recruitment to high risk activism: The case of Freedom Summer.
American Journal of Sociology, 92, 64-90.
McAdam, D., & Paulsen, R. (1993). Specifying the relationship between social ties and activism. The American Journal of Sociology, 99(3), 640-667.
McAllister, I. (2001). Civic education and political knowledge in Australia. Paper presented as a lecture in the Department of the Senate Occasional Lecture Series at Parliament House on 23 March 2001.
Mendez, R. P. (2007). Intersecting gender and sexual orientation: an analysis of sexuality and citizenship in gender equality policies in Spain. Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy, 10 (4), 575-597.
Morozov, E. (2009). The brave new world of slacktivism. Foreign Policy. Retrieved October 5, 2009, from
http://neteffect.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/05/19/the_brave_new_world_of_
slacktivism
Morozov, E. (2009, June 29). It feels like activism. Newsweek. Retrieved September 18, 2009, from http://www.newsweek.com/id/206579
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
88
Nepstad, S. E., & Smith, C. (1999). Rethinking recruitment to high-risk/cost activism:
The case of Nicaragua exchange. Mobilization, 4, 25-40.
Oliver, P. (1984). “If You Don’t Do It, Nobody Else Will”: Active and token contributors to local collective action. American Sociological Review, 49, 601-610.
Pini, B., Brown, K., & Previte, J. (2004). Politics and Identity in Cyberspace. A Case Study of Australian Women in Agriculture Online. In van de Donk, W., Loader, B., Nixon, P., & Rucht, D. (eds.), Cyberprotest: New Media, citizens and Social
Movements. London: Routledge, 259-75
Porta, D. D., & Diani, M. (2006). Social movements: An introduction.
Oxford/Cambridge, MA: Blackwell.
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community.
New York: Simon & Shuster.
Rheingold, H. (1993). The Virtual Community. New York: Harper.
Sherif, M. (1988). The robbers cave experiment: Intergroup conflict and cooperation.
Scranton, PA: Wesleyan University Press.
Uhrmacher, A. (2008). How to find statistics on social media? Mashable. Retrieved November 8, 2009, from
http://mashable.com/2008/08/28/how-to-find-statistics-on-social-media/
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
89
Verloo, M. (2006). Multiple inequalities, intersectionality and the European Union.
European Journal of Women’s Stuides, 13 (3), 211-228
Walsh, M. (2010). Facebook starts 2010 with strong U.S. growth. Media Post.
Retrieved February 12, 2010, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121 679
Wellman, B., Salaff, J., Dimitrova, D., Garton, L., & Haythornthwaite, C. (1996).
Computer networks as social networks: Collaborative work, telework, and virtual community. Annual Review of Sociology, 22, 213-238.
Williams, D. (2006). On and off the Net: Scales for social capital in and online era.
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11, 593-628.
Zhang, W., & Chia, S. C. (2006). The effects of mass media use and social capital on civic and political participation. Communication Studies, 57(3), 277-297.
‧
A Survey about Political Action Online &Conventional Activism Dear Causes users,
My name is Danny Chien. I am a graduate student from Taiwan, who is currently studying the connections between social media activism and conventional political activism. I would really appreciate it if you can spare some time to fill out the questionnaire below. All the information obtained through this questionnaire is used for this current study only and will be handled anonymously and confidentially.
If you should have any question, please contact me at daniel524tw@yahoo.com Thank you very much for your time and assistance.
Best regards, Danny Chien
Part 1 – Demographic information Please check the appropriate box.
1. Nationality: □(1) American □(2) Others. Please specify: __________
2. Ethnicity: □(1)White/Caucasian □(2) Black/African □(3) Latino/Hispanic □(4) Asian
□(5) Native American Indian □(6)Others. Please specify: __________
3. Sex: □(1) Male □(2)Female
□(4)Master or above □(5) Others. Please specify: __________
7. Political stance: □(1)Very Conservative □(2)Conservative □(3)Neutral .□(4)Liberal □(4)Very Liberal
Part 2 – Information about the general uses of Causes Please check the appropriate box.
1. How familiar are you with the operation of Causes?
□(1)Not familiar at all □(2)Not quite familiar □(3)Familiar
□(4)Very familiar □(5) Extremely familiar
‧
2. How often do you log into the application of Causes?□(1) Never since join □(2) At least once every two months □(3) At least once a month
□(4) At least twice a month □(5) At least once a week □(6) Everyday
3. How often do you log into cause groups related to Proposition 8
□(1) Never since join □(2) At least once every two months □(3) At least once a month
Part 3 – Information about your uses of cause groups dedicated to Proposition 8 Please answer each question by checking the appropriate box.
How much ____________________ to/for cause groups related to Proposition 8?
None Less than
How often do you ___________________ on cause groups related to Proposition 8?
Never
‧
How many ____________________ for cause groups related to Proposition 8?
None Fewer
How many ____________________ cause groups related to Proposition 8?
None Fewer than legislation Please answer the following questions by checking the appropriate box.
1. According to Proposition 8, only marriage between ____________________ is valid or recognized in California.
□(1) a man and a man □(2) a man and a woman □(3) a woman and a woman
2. Proposition 8 was passed in __________.
□(1) 2007 □(2) 2008 □(3) 2009
‧
social policy initiative and surpassing every other race in the country in spending. This statement is __________.5. ____________________ led the campaigns FOR Proposition 8.
□(1) Equality for All □(2) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
□(3) ProtectMarriage.com
6. __________ supports Proposition 8.
□(1) Gavin Newsom □(2) John McCain □(3) Barack Obama
7. The members of ____________________ publicly support the proposition.
□(1) Unitarian Universalists □(2) American Jewish Committee
□(3) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
8. ____________________ was the lead organization opposing to Proposition 8.
□(1) Equality for All □(2) Human Rights Campaign □(3) ProtectMarriage.com
Part 5 – Information about how you feel about Proposition 8 and same-sex marriage legislation Please check the appropriate box according to whether you agree with each of these statements or not.
Agree Disagree.
1. I don’t think public officials care much about what people like me think of Proposition 8 and same-sex marriage legislation.
2. Voting is the main thing that decides the outcome of Proposition 8 and same-sex marriage legislation.
3. Voting is the only way that people like me have any say about how the government decides on Proposition 8 and same-sex marriage legislation.
4. People like me don’t have any say about what the government does about Proposition 8 and same-sex marriage legislation.
5. Sometimes issues like Proposition 8 and same-sex legislation seem so complicated that a person like me can’t really understand what’s going on.
‧
Part 6 – Information about your participation in real-life activismPlease answer the following questions by checking the appropriate box.
1. How many Proposition 8 or same-sex marriage related protests, parades, rallies, sit-ins, or demonstrations in the real life have you participated in, excluding those on the Internet?
□(1) None □(2) 1-3 □(3) 4-6 □(4) 7-9 □(5) More than 10
2. How many Proposition 8 or same-sex marriage related petitions have you signed, excluding those on the Internet?
□(1) None □(2) 1-3 □(3) 4-6 □(4) 7-9 □(5) More than 10
3. How much money have you donated to organizations or campaigns dedicated to Proposition 8 or same-sex marriage legislation, excluding those on the Internet?
□(1) None . □(2) Less than $US 10 □(3) $US 11-50
□(4) $US 51-100 □(5) $US 101-200 □(6) More than $US201
4. How often do you initiate conversations or discussions related to Proposition 8 or same-sex marriage, excluding those on the Internet?
□(1) Never □(2) At least once every two months □(3) At least once a month
□(4) At least twice a month □(5) At least once a week □(6) Everyday
5. How often do you participate in conversations or discussions related to Proposition 8 or same-sex marriage, excluding those on the Internet?
□(1) Never since join □(2) At least once every two months □(3) At least once a month □(4) At least twice a month □(5) At least once a week □(6) Everyday
6. How many organizations dedicated to Proposition 8 or same-sex marriage are you affiliated with?
□(1) None □(2) 1 □(3) 2 □(4) 3 □(5) More than 4
7. How often do you do volunteer work for organizations or events dedicated to Proposition 8 or same-sex marriage?
□(1) Never □(2) At least once every two months □(3) At least once a month
□(4) At least twice a month □(5) At least once a week □(6) Everyday
8. How many people have you ever recruited to organizations dedicated to Proposition 8 or same-sex marriage, excluding those on the Internet?
□(1) None □(2) 1-5 □(3) 6-10 □(4) 11-15 □(5) More than 16
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
95 Part 7 –Interview
For further study, I would like to invite you to have a chat with me about your uses of Causes and your participation in Proposition 8 or same-sex marriage related activities. If you would like to have a talk with me, please leave your email with me, and I will contact you.
Your E-mail: __________________________________________________
Thanks for all your help!
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
96
Appendix B: Operationalization of independent variables
First of all, the in terms of the general uses of Causes (Part 2 in the questionnaire), survey questions use scales to measure the following three types of questions, namely questions that ask how familiar (question 1), how often (questions 2 and 3), how long (question 4) and how many (question5). For the question that asks how familiar, the answers include ‘not familiar at all’ ‘not quite familiar’, ‘familiar’, ‘very familiar’ and ‘extremely familiar’, with ‘not familiar at all’ scoring 0 and ‘extremely familiar’ scoring 4. For the questions that ask how often, the answers include ‘never since join’, ‘at least once every two months’, ‘at least once a month’, ‘at least twice a month’, ‘at least once a week’, and ‘everyday’, with ‘never since join’ scoring 0 and
‘everyday’ scoring 5. For the question that asks how long, the answers include ‘longer than two years’, ’18-23 months’, ‘12-17 months’, ‘6-11 months’, ‘3-5 months’, ‘1-2 months’, and ‘less than one month’, with ‘less than one month’ scoring 0 and ‘longer than two years’ scoring 6. Finally, for the question that asks how many, the answers include ‘more than 20’, ’16-20’, ’11-15’, ‘6-10’, and ‘1-5’, with ‘1-5’ scoring 0 and
‘more than 20’ scoring 4.
In terms of the uses of cause groups dedicated to Proposition 8 (Part 3), the questionnaire asks questions of how much (questions 1-1 and 1-2), how often (questions 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, 2-6, 2-7, 2-8, 2-9, and 2-10) and how many (questions 3-1, 3-2, and3-3 as well as 4-1 and 4-2). For the questions that ask how much, the answers include ‘none’, ‘less than $US 5’, ‘$US 6-10’, ‘$US 11-15’, and
‘more than $US 16’, with ‘none’ scoring 0 and ‘more than $US 16’ scoring 4. For questions that ask how often, the answers include ‘never since join’, ‘at least once every two months’, ‘at least once a month’, ‘at least twice a month’, ‘at least once a week’, and ‘everyday’, with ‘never since join’ scoring 0 and ‘everyday’ scoring 5.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
97
There are two categories of questions that ask how many. The reason for such categorization is due to the nature of the variables. For the first set of questions that ask how many (questions 3-1, 3-2, and 3-3), the answers include ‘none’, ‘less than 3’,
‘4-6’, ‘7-9’, ’10-12’ and ‘more than 12’, with ‘none’ scoring 0 and ‘more than 12’
scoring 5. For the second set of questions that ask how many (questions 4-1 and 4-2), the answers include ‘none’, ‘less than 5’, ‘6-10’, ’11-15’, and ‘more than 16’, with
‘none’ scoring 0 and ‘more than 16’ scoring 4.
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
98
Appendix C: Interview questions
About Causes:
1. When did you start using Causes? How did you find out about it?
2. What do you think of Causes? Why did you choose to use it?
3. How often do you use Causes? What do you use it for?
4. What are some common activities on Causes?
5. What do you think of these activities? Do you think they have a certain value?
6. How Is Causes different from other forms of online activism?
About cause groups dedicated to same-sex marriage or Proposition 8:
1. When did you start using cause groups that are dedicated to same-sex marriage or Proposition 8 issues? How did you find out about them?
2. Why do you use them? How often do you use them? What do you do?
2. Do you know people who also use these groups? How would you describe your relationship with them?
3. Have you ever established any new connection with other users through using these cause groups? If so, how would you describe your relationship with these people?
4. Do you think these cause groups are useful? If so, in which way? If not, why not?
5. What kind of information can people get on these groups?
6. Is there much interaction?
7. After using these groups, has your involvement in same-sex marriage related issues or events changed? How has it changed?
‧
國立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
99
About same-sex marriage and Proposition 8 issues:
1. How much do you know about same-sex marriage or Proposition 8 issues?
2. What is your main source of information for these issues?
3. Do you share this information with others? With whom mainly? How?
4. How would you describe your involvement in events dedicated to same-sex marriage or Proposition 8 issues?
5. Do you have friends who have also been involved in these events? What is their level of involvement? How would you describe your relationship with them?
6. How do you feel about the current situation of same-sex marriages in the USA?
7. Do you think your previous experiences in same-sex marriage related issues or events have links to any similar experiences online?
About activism online in general:
1. Do you know much about social media activism? What do you think it is?
2. Do you perform much activism online? Through what means specifically?
3. What value or problems do you think it has?