An empirical study of e-participation in Social Movement Organisations. (9th December 2008)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sudulich, Maria Laura
• Is Part Of: International journal of electronic business. Volume 6:Number 6(2008)
• Page Start: 651
• Page End: 665
• Publication Date: 2008-12-09
• Subjects: mobilising agents -- e-participation -- e-government -- e-democracy -- one-way communication -- two-way communication -- electronic business -- SMOs -- social movement organisations -- e-business -- electronic participation -- electronic government -- electronic democracy -- protest networks -- pressure groups -- information dissemination -- communication patterns -- website connectivity; Electronic commerce -- Periodicals; 658.05467805
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1470-6067

Abstract

The widespread diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has had a significant impact on European society. This study analyses the impact of ICT enabled political participation by Social Movement Organisations (SMOs). A sample of European protest networks and pressure groups' websites are analysed through the use of indicators that measure their ability to disseminate information, their potential for bilateral/multilateral communication, and their website connectivity. We found no significant differences in communication patterns between SMOs that have different sizes with regards to the information dissemination and communication patterns, and found that larger SMOs have more website connectivity.