Political mobilization

through social media

Chris AalbertsMaurits Kreijveld

Politicologenetmaalwww.chrisaalberts.nl

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal

Social strategy?

• Obama used social media in his campaign• This campaign was a success

• Professional advice from the industry• Dutch politicians should adopt a similar

strategy

• Question: can we make this comparison?• And if so: what can we learn from it?

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal

Online campaigns

• Internet as a tool since ± 1998• Web 2.0 as a tool since ± 2006

Some advantages for politicians• Control over media content• Costs of web sites• Better image: modern, human, etc.• Options for contact, feedback and mobilization

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal

Some trends

• An enormous growth in internet access…But many citizens still did not have access

• Political activities online became more importantBut they were only carried out by small groups

• Internet gave citizens many interactive options… But party websites were not interactive at all

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal

New discourse

Claims about Web 2.0• Web 2.0 renewed the internet• Facts about Web 1.0 have become obsolete• Everyone has internet access now• Politics online has become a mass

phenomenon• Politicians have learned how to use the

internet• Mass mobilization has become an option

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal

Mobilization in the US (1)

The Obama story• Obama became a brand: ‘change’• Obama created a movement of campaigners• Online tools were essential to realise this

– Social networking– Incentives to become active– Interactive campaign

• This campaign was the basis of his success

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal

Mobilization in the US (2)

Some results• 750.000.000 dollar donations• 13.000.000 email addresses• 2.900.000 citizens received sms messages• 200.000 local meetings• 35.000 online groups

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal

Mobilization in the Netherlands (1)

Question• What is the role of online social networks for

political mobilization in the Netherlands?

Method• Email interviews with ‘friends’ of politicians on

the Dutch social network Hyves

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal

Mobilization in the Netherlands (2)

Some results• Friends visit these pages less than once a year• Friends do not have many opinions about

these pages• Friends want to show their political preferences

to their online network• Friends do not intend to become active at all• The only active members were active before• Mobilization seems very unlikely

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal

A useful comparison? (1)

Similarities• Mobilization of a ‘small’ group• Social media have a rather vague role

Differences• Specific media content and media use• Political culture and history• Many factors and interactions

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal

A useful comparison? (2)

• There will be correlations between these variables

• This correlation is the outcome of the selection of variables in the model

• We can make many different comparisons• So what are these comparisons worth?

www.chrisaalberts.nlPoliticologenetmaal