Digital activism: A hierarchy of political commitment

Abstract

Political action has a long history. Information systems provide new affordances for political action that go well beyond sending an email to elected officials or “liking” a political Facebook page. Digital activism - political action enabled by Information Systems (IS) - not only provides citizens with enhanced opportunities for organization and communication, but also allows opportunities to take direct political action and create greater impact with fewer resources. This paper seeks to explore and build theory on the use and impact of digital activism by extending Milbrath’s hierarchy of political participation to reflect digital activism. The paper contributes to both the IS and political science literature with a digital activism framework that builds on digital activism theory.