Transported: New Zealand non-profit organizations, digital platforms and the limitations of metaphor

Abstract

Digital communication has become ubiquitous to the non-profit sector, globally, and non-profit organizations (NPOs) have adopted multiple digital media channels and platforms in attempts to connect with and influence external stakeholders. This article examines how non-profits in New Zealand (NZ) are using metaphoric language around their deployment of digital media channels. Since its inception, digital information technology has been explained in terms of transport metaphors such as information superhighway and digital traffic. These metaphors have become largely invisible. A combination of empirical and interpretative analyses was deployed to examine the metaphorical framework at work in NPO discussions of their digital media engagements. The analysis uncovered rhetoric that valued movement over destination, de-emphasized the stakeholder perspective and narrowly restricted the power to contribute to organizational meaning.

Fostering Voluntarism in Digital Age

“…Today the digital media platform becomes a tool. The reason is that digital media has opened the way for increasing the practice of citizen volunteerism whenever and wherever [17]. Digital media has also expanded the ability of citizens to participate in large-scale social movements.…”

“…The most popular conceptualization in retailing means digital citizenship as a normative behavior of citizens in relation to the use of technology. Digital citizenship is a guideline that mediates human behavior normatively for digital communities or good communities [17]. In this sense, digital citizenship is considered as a condition where citizens are able to digitize themselves, achieve broad common interests in society.…”

“…In line with that, Gray & Hopskins (2018), which is researching non-profit organizations in New Zealand, stated that today the digital media platform is an attractive tool. The reason is that digital media has opened the way for increasing volunteerism of citizens whenever and wherever [17]. In Indonesia, this phenomenon also happened thanks to initiatives from several parties.…”

Determinants of organizational performance in disaster risk reduction: A preliminary study of global humanitarian NGOs

“…Some examples include, but are not limited to, newsletters, email, teleconferencing, shared repository, social media, websites, case management software and instant messaging (Fu et al., 2019; Rice et al., 2017). In particular, NGOs heavily rely on a variety of ICTs, particularly social media, to communicate with various stakeholder groups (Gray & Hopkins, 2019; Seo & Vu, 2020; Xu & Saxton, 2018).…”

“…To answer this question, we build on extant organizational and interorganizational communication scholarship, which highlights the centrality of relationships (Tierney, 2014) and communication (Houston et al., 2015; Rice & Jahn, 2020), in fostering community resilience. In so doing we draw on the stakeholder theory, focusing on two mechanisms integral to stakeholder engagement through which organizations can improve their performance and advance their social missions: (1) building robust interorganizational networks (Doerfel et al., 2010; Lai & Hsu, 2019; Liu et al., 2020; Steigenberger, 2016) and (2) using information communication technologies (ICTs), particularly social media, to engage with various stakeholders (Gray & Hopkins, 2019; Lai & Fu, 2020; Madianou et al., 2015; Olson et al., 2019; Seo & Vu, 2020; Xu & Saxton, 2018).…”