Are Social Work Advocacy Groups Using Web 2.0 Effectively?

Utilizing Digital Advocacy in Community Organizing: Lessons Learned from Organizing in Virtual Spaces to Promote Worker Rights and Economic Justice

“…For instance, studies conducted by Greenberg and MacAulay (2009) and Guo and Saxton (2014) suggest that, despite the emerging research on the use of technology for advocacy, nonprofit organizations have not utilized the full capacity of social media to their benefit. Additionally, Edwards and Hoefer (2010) analyzed the web sites of 111 nonprofit organizations and identified only 57% that contained advocacy-related content; however, more than one-fifth of the sample had no social-media related tools for advocacy (Edwards & Hoefer, 2010). Finally, although social media and digital advocacy have been embraced by some in community organizing, others feel as though social media and web-based technology have contributed to greater apathy, often referred to by the term digital slacktivism (Knibbs, 2013).…”

Changing the Face of Advocacy? Explaining Interest Organizations’ Use of Social Media Strategies

“…Shaping a public image, after all, is well suited to news media and general public audiences, but less so to EU institutions where more direct forms of lobbying (like face-to-face meetings or lobbying reports) are more effective strategies. This finding levels an important challenge to a growing body of empirical research suggesting that the potential of social media remains largely unrealized (Edwards & Hoefer, 2010;Fine, 2007;Kenix, 2007). Indeed, comparing results across all models suggests that both adopting social media tools as well as their use in specific venues is part of groups' larger set of news media lobbying strategies.…”

“…For interest group scholars the tendency is to therefore label social media as a "weapon of the weak." Along with demonstrations and protests, social media are typically categorized as an "outside strategy," providing so-called diffuse interest groups (like nongovernmental organizations [NGOs] and citizen groups) with a form of indirect contact to decision makers (Edwards & Hoefer, 2010;Thrall, 2006). Skepticism about the democratizing and empowering potential of social media not only dismisses the leveling ability of these new technologies, but also suggests that they play into the hands of those already in power.…”

“…Much of the research on lobbying strategies still tends to focus on a largely outmoded set of pressure strategies ranging from letter-writing campaigns to phone calls (Baumgartner, Berry, Hojnacki, Kimball, & Leech, 2009;Mahoney, 2008). The scant work that has acknowledged social media in lobbying activities provides only cursory evidence that interest organizations are increasingly turning to these new tools in their advocacy work (Edwards & Hoefer, 2010;Lovejoy & Saxton, 2012) or explains the adoption of social media tools in terms of a patchwork of assumptions regarding an organization's background characteristics (e.g., van der Graaf et al, 2013). As a result, we still know very little about the role of social media in the repertoire of advocacy strategies used by interest organizations.…”

The Diffusion of Social Media in Nonprofit Organizations

“…While the number of these community-based nonprofits has increased, the sources of income are shrinking, with limited grants from various levels of government and decrease donations from private individuals. Nonprofits need to devise new strategies using ICT tools like social media that will increase their income and reduce their overhead costs of operating so that organizations can divert more funds to programs and activities that directly impact the communities (Behn, et al, 2010;Edwards and Hoefer, 2010;Handy, 2010;Lampkin and Boris, 2002). Nonprofits undertake fundraising activities to solicit funds from donors.…”