Organizing with self-organization? the ramifications of the strategic use of Facebook in informal civic activism

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

This chapter aims at exploring the ramifications of the strategic usage of Facebook in informal civic activism against the yet-to-be-studied case of an African third wave democratic country. Focusing on the emergence of Sokols up to the unprecedented 2017 street demonstration in Cape Verde, it reviews findings from a multidimensional empiric-holistic method that addresses the associated role of Facebook. The study confirms the existence of a heterarchical and distributed leadership alongside a horizontal and collaborative decision-making arrangement in a Facebook-mediated civic activism movement. While corroborating the tendency of grassroots activism in adopting a hybrid blend of online and offline, it concludes that Facebook was used in support of the largely self-organized Sokols movement and the loosely structured street demonstration held in São Vicente. However, besides not necessarily changing the fundamental structures of the civic activism movement—including organization, leadership, decision-making and protest staging—Facebook only supplemented the offline practices.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationResearch anthology on social media's influence on government, politics, and social movements
PublisherIGI Global Publishing
Chapter5
Pages75-97
Number of pages23
ISBN (Electronic)9781668474730
ISBN (Print)9781668474723
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

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