internetworked social media and campaign fundraising: a case study

PR ES EN TAT ION BY AMAN DA S N IPES

U N IVER S ITY OF CEN TR AL OKLAH OMADEMOCR AT IC G OVER N AN CE | DR . H AR DT

DECEMB ER 13 , 201 0

Internetworked Social Media and Campaign Fundraising

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I salute the State Flag of Oklahoma. It’s symbols of peace unite all people. – Oklahoma State Flag Salute

What is “Democratic Governance?”

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Roman Forum from Palentine Hill

Oklahoma State Capitol

…social contract theorists such as Locke, Rousseau, and Montesquieu discussed the necessity of codifying a just society under a value system where all individuals are inherently free, equal, and within the same degree punishable by law enforcement mechanisms (Nye 2002).

Socialization of Shared Political Identity

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The fundamental questions to those who study democratic methods of governance are inquiries seeking to answer how, which, and why certain practices expedite or hinder a society's evolution to utilize a governance system where all people are free and equal in practice (Norris 2003).

Function of Internetworked

Social Media

"Another advantage of belonging to an online community is having 24-hour access.  It is immediate and messages can be saved for future reference.  For some people, being able to write means they can present themselves more clearly than in face-to-face meetings.  Many people like having time to reflect and respond thoughtfully"

(Ghozati and Preece 2009, 238).

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Empathic Expression and Effectiveness of Governance

Processes

"Empathy is the ability to identify with and understand another person's situation and feelings.  Our ability to empathize affects how well we communicate our thoughts and feelings with others, and how comfortable people feel communicating with us.” (Ghozati and Preece 2001, 233)

Shared experiences are powerful because they translate into real world tangible action and production (Langman2004).

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Reciprocity and the Emergence of Cooperation

in Governance

“…the important point that democracy cannot be taken for granted; indeed, it is a process that requires continuous input to remain vital and vigorous.  One crucial element in maintaining a democracy, therefore, is the active participation and support of a large majority of the population.  With the decline in social capital, the conditions for such popular participation and support are increasingly adverse" (Sorsenson 2008, 48).

People have simply changed how they interact with each other instead opting for methods of computer mediated communication (Collins 2008)

Buying into Democratic Processes

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Thesis: A New Model for Generating Revenue in Campaigns

Increased traffic of CMC (Computer Mediated Communication) through ISM (Internetworked Social Media) will add to citizen participation in political processes as measured through online contributions.

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Facebook ‘likes’

Online Contribution

s

Brittany Novotny

Campaign:A Case Study

Facebook Insights:

Top Populations

1. Female 25-34 yrs old [635 ‘likes’]

2. Male 25-34 yrs old [485 ‘likes’]

3. Female 35-44 yrs old [349 ‘likes’]

4. Male 35-44 yrs old [329 ‘likes’]

5. Male 18-24 yrs old [296 ‘likes’]

From OKC 1,567 people

FIELD RESEARCH BREAKDOWN Independent Variable Facebook ‘likes’ Dependent Variable Online Contributions Unit of Analysis 24 hour periods from April 1,

2010 to November 3, 2010 – 217 unique observations

Traditional Media Periods

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Online Fundraising Record

Total of $28, 186 online contributions

322 total unique online contributors

Amount of Contribution ($28,186)

Amount of Contributors (322)

= Average of $87.53

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Never doubt that a small

group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the

world. Indeed, it is the only

thing that ever has.

-Margaret Mead

Statistical Analysis of Relationship Between ISM and Online

Contributions

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The r-square value means Facebook 'likes' have a 39.01% likelihood of being related to online contributions.

Any t-score of greater than 1 have an impact on the model.  The three news stories with robust implications for the Novotny campaign were published by The Huffington Post , KWTV-9, and The Oklahoman/CNN (which happened during the same 72-hour time frame)

The p-value lets us know the likelihood of relation between the events under the assumption of a 95% confidence level

The Juicy Stuff:

Donation data

breakdown

Traditional Media Coverage

…the most flourishing democratic strategies pursue policies and practices by government institutions which empower individual citizens (Newton 2001)

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When citizens see unequal treatment without protection from injustice under the rule of law, then resistance to the system begins and citizens make their thoughts known by defecting and no longer granting legitimacy to the government (Huntington 1996)

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Behind the Curtain: Campaign Management Logistics

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ISM and CMC create accessibility to candidates and a sense of authentic interaction.  After all, candidates are wishing to be hired to represent the needs of the people

– they must use CMC and ISM to express their capacity to listen and take in the concerns of others not constantly babble about their own opinions and

message.

Specialization and Division of Labor

Overview of Strategy

Direct Mail Campaign

• 5 piece mail campaign• 5,000 unique address

mailing list

Online Management

• WordPress• Twitter• Facebook

Field Operations

• Press Conferences• Event Logistics• Meet and Greets with

Candidate

Volunteer Outreach

• GOTV• Voter Registration

Drives• Canvassing• Phone Banking

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ISM created a Shared Experience for the Race for

HD 84

"Civic health requires an active interest in the life of the community, city, state, and country through organization participation and leadership" (National Conference on Citizenship 2010)

ISM and CMC foster the development and expansion of civic health by keeping citizens engaged with each other and encouraging participation by increasing familiarity with issues.

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Violent Outbreaks During Governance

Processes

Cooperative Cohesion During Governance

Processes

Why We Care:Shared Experience and Identity Construction

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Question and Answer Session

CONGRATUALTIONS!

Happy

Holidays!