Social Media and Political Activism James Chen April 6, 2009 MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Overview Politics and social media theory Case Studies The Four C’s of Social Media Yochai Benkler’s “Networked Public Sphere” Country-level factors Case Studies U.S.: Barack Obama presidential campaign China: Charter 08, human flesh search engines, cyber-nationalism, Internet censorship Election campaigns in India and Taiwan MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Politics and Social Media Theory The Four C’s Content Collaboration Community Cumulative value MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Politics and Social Media Theory Yochai Benkler’s “Networked Public Sphere” The public sphere before social media Enabling technologies and their effects What social media changes MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Politics and Social Media Theory Country-level Factors Level of Internet and social media adoption Degree of political openness MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Case Study: United States Internet and Social Media Adoption 73% of U.S. population is online: 220 million Internet users 60% read blogs, 43% use social networking services, 74% watch online video clips Political Openness Wide latitude for political expression and organization MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Barack Obama Presidential Campaign MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Barack Obama Presidential Campaign MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Barack Obama Presidential Campaign MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Barack Obama Presidential Campaign MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Barack Obama Presidential Campaign MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Barack Obama Presidential Campaign MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Barack Obama Presidential Campaign Houdini Project Vote tracking database Real-time updating MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Social Media and the Right MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Social Media and the Right MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Case Study: China Internet and Social Media Adoption 26% Internet penetration rate – 298 million Internet users 54% of netizens are bloggers, 75% use instant messaging, 19% use social networks, 67% view online videos Political Openness Limited room for political expression Tight government control of Internet MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Charter 08 Published on the Internet in December 2008 Call for legal reforms, human rights protections, political freedoms, and democracy 303 original signers, 8,100 additional signatures after release MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Charter 08 Government Response Arrest of Liu Xiaobo Police questioning of other signers Removal of charter text and references online Current Status Most Chinese have not heard of Charter 08 No significant follow-up activity MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Human Flesh Search Engines MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Cyber Nationalism MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Internet Censorship Conventional Tactics Blocking Keyword filtering Modified search results Updated Tactics 50 cent party Selective filtering MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Case Study: India Internet and Social Media Adoption 4.5% Internet penetration rate: 49 million Internet users Most popular social media services: Orkut, YouTube, blogs Political Openness Civil and press freedoms enshrined in law, but they are threatened by extremists MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Parliamentary Elections MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Parliamentary Elections MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Parliamentary Elections MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Case Study: Taiwan Internet and Social Media Adoption 66% of population online: 15 million Internet users Most visited website last year was a blog hosting service. IM, video sharing, and photo sharing are also all popular. Political Openness Wide room for political expression and activity since democratic transition. MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Legislative By-election MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Legislative By-election MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government

Conclusions Social media’s disruptive potential Local context matters Social media in closed societies MSFS 556: Social Media in Business, Development, and Government