Grassroots organizing in the digital age: considering values and technology in Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street

Abstract

Power dynamics shape, and are shaped by, the tools used by participants in social movements. In this study we explore the values, attitudes, and beliefs of Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street stakeholders as they relate to their use of technology. This multi-method study applies the lens of value sensitive design [VSD; Friedman, B. (Ed.) (1997). Human values and the design of computer technology (vol. 72). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press] to examine stakeholder values and sites of value tension. We contextualize our findings with qualitative observation of how these values are reflected in each organization's online spaces, including Facebook, Twitter, and key organizational websites, as well as private spaces such as email.

We found liberty, the value most mentioned by Tea Party members, was not reflected in the movement's organizational websites and Facebook pages, where user autonomy is frequently undermined. However, the Occupy value of equality is supported in the movement's web presence. We also found a set of shared central values – privacy and security, inclusion, and consensus – underlying both Tea Party and Occupy's approach to organization and participation. Value tensions around privacy and inclusion emerged for both groups, as some members opted not to use these tools due to security concerns and leaders struggled to adapt their communication strategies accordingly.

This study provides insight into the adoption and contestation of different technological tools within grassroots social movements, how those decisions are shaped by core values, and how conflicts over the use of digital tools can result from tension between how different stakeholders prioritize those values.

Keywords:

• collective action
• digital media
• value-sensitive design
• ICTs
• Occupy
• Tea Party

Acknowledgements

The article benefited from comments received on earlier versions. The authors particularly wish to thank the anonymous referees for excellent comments as well as Yuri Choi, James Ketaily, Ezra Oyce, Nathan Potts, and Alexis Yurovchek for their support during the data collection phase.

Notes on contributors

Sheetal D. Agarwal (M.A., Georgetown University) is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington, Seattle. Her research focuses on the intersection of media, technology, and politics, with an emphasis on changing communication norms in political, civic, and journalistic contexts. [email: [email protected]]

Michael L. Barthel (M.A., Syracuse University) is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington. His research focuses on the evolution of the US media environment and its effect on perceptions of the press and government. [email: [email protected]]

Caterina Rost (M.A., University of Leipzig; M.A., University of Washington) is a doctoral student in the Department of Political Science at the University of Washington, Seattle. Her research interests are American Politics and Political Communication with an emphasis on emotional appeals and political polarization. [email: [email protected]]

Alan Borning is a professor in the Department of Computer Science & Engineering at the University of Washington, and an adjunct faculty member in the Information School. His research interests are in human–computer interaction and designing for human values, and in object-oriented and constraint-based programming languages. Current projects include tools for making public transit more usable, systems to support civic engagement and participation, and constraint-based programming languages and systems. He received a BA in mathematics from Reed College in 1971, and a PhD in computer science from Stanford University in 1979. Awards include a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award for lecturing and research in Australia, and being named a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery in 2001. [email: [email protected]]

Lance Bennett is Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor of Communication and Professor of Political Science at the University of Washington, Seattle, where he is director of the Center for Communication and Civic Engagement. Bennett has published and lectured widely on media and information systems in civic life. His research areas include theories of citizenship and civic life, press–government relations, communication and the organization of national and transnational advocacy, the rise of the network society, and how digital media are changing the public sphere. His most recent book is The Logic of Connective Action: Digital Media and the Personalization of Contentious Politics (with Alexandra Segerberg), Cambridge University Press, 2013. [email: [email protected]]

Courtney N. Johnson (M.A., University of Wisconsin) is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication at the University of Washington, Seattle. Her research interests center on political communication in the United States and Europe, with a focus on public opinion and political economy of the press. [email: [email protected]]

Notes

1. We note here that the distinction of ‘leadership’ is potentially problematic for participants in both groups, as there is a claim to the ‘leaderless’ nature of each. We employ these words simply to help draw meaningful comparisons between the different values and goals of members who indicate they have taken on more responsibility at times or when they hold leadership titles such as ‘State Coordinator’.

2. While our interviews took place well after the height of the OWS movement and may contribute to their perception that Twitter was less important, we asked interviewees to reflect both on their current uses and attitudes towards Twitter and on their use of it during the time of their most active participation.

3. Some Tea Party interviews took place during the time of the PRISM scandal, which may have contributed to heightened concern around privacy.