‘Power to the paddlers’? The internet, governance and discipline

Abstract

This article explores the role of the internet in the processes of organisation and mobilisation of a sporting subculture in asserting rights to enjoy the countryside for recreational purposes. It reports upon findings from a qualitative survey of chat room posts surrounding claims made by canoeists for better access to inland waterways in England and Wales. Informed by a reworking of the gift relationship, the findings question claims about the power of the internet to shape and realise democratic participation, indicating instead that it supports wider hegemonic relationships that constrain sporting activity and provides a mechanism for discipline within the subculture that is counter‐intuitive to a broader politics of access for recreational purposes.

Keywords:

• access to the countryside
• internet
• gift relationship
• recreational conflict
• water‐based sport and recreation
• England and Wales

Notes

1. It should be noted here that the model is heuristic and suggestive. Individuals may, and possibly do, adopt a series of positions in response to latest political or policy developments. It is our intention to test this model through further qualitative research with the canoe community.