Internet-driven changes in environmental NGO action

Abstract

Information and Communication Technologies, considered both as a technological resource and as a social technology, play an important role in the shaping of existing social relations and in the creation of new modes of interaction and social organization (AA. VV., 2000). However, traditional approaches of political action frequently misstate just how politically active citizens are by underrating changes occurred in the realm of political mediation (Norris, 2002, p. 2; Epstein, 1991, p. 230). The changes in the organizational and action repertoires go hand in hand with the specificities of each NGO's cultural interpretative devices, which are influenced by technological change (Zald, 1996, p. 266-270). On the other hand, frames are also subject to internal debate, a process in which ICTs also take part (Webster, 2001, p. 7). Hence, this paper focuses on clarifying the ways in which NGOs have their structure and action repertoires changed by the use of ICTs.

Environmental nongovernmental organizations’ digital media practices toward environmental sustainability and implications for informational governance

“…Early digital tools such as emails have facilitated a change in governance by providing greater direct access to policymakers than had previously existed, allowing flows of information to more easily move toward centers of legislative power. This has been institutionally acknowledged in different countries where email has become the official or preferred form of public communication with policymakers [20,21]. 1 The increased and institutionalized use of electronic mail and other digital tools such as policymakers' personal social media accounts [22] also encourage their adaptation among ENGOs, creating a cycle of reliance on such tools for direct information flow.…”