Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Power Dynamics in Online Communities: The Palestinian Case

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Digital Media and the Politics of Transformation in the Arab World and Asia

Abstract

While there is a large amount of literature discussing the impact of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and social network sites (SNS) on activism and social movements, less attention has been given to the implications of these technologies on the dynamics within these activism circles and social activist groups.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Aouragh, M. (2011). Palestine Online, Transnationalism, the internet and the construction of identity. London: I.B. Tauris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bargh, J. A., McKenna, K. Y., & Fitzsimons, G. M. (2002). Can you see the real me? Activation and expression of the “true self” on the Internet. Journal of social issues, 58(1), 33-48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennett, W. (2003). Communicating global activism. Information, Communication & Society, 6(2), 143-168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bimber, B. (2000). The study of information technology and civic engagement. Political Communication, 17(4), 329–333.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bishara, A. (2009). New Media and Political Change: The Case of the Two Palestinian Intifadas. Mediterranean Programme Series. EUI RSCAS; 2009/21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonfadelli, H. (2002). The Internet and knowledge gaps: A theoretical and empirical investigation. European Journal of Communication, 17(1), 65–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1977) Outline of a Theory of Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1984). Distinction: A social critique of the judgement of taste. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1990). The logic of practice. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1991). Language and Symbolic Power. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1996). The rules of art. Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (2005). The political field, the social science field, and the journalistic field. In R. Benson & E. Neveu (Eds.), Bourdieu and the journalistic field (p. 29-47). Cambridge: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. & Passeron, J. C (1977). Reproduction in Education, Society and Culture. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P., & Wacquant, L. (1992). An invitation to reflexive sociology. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • boyd, d. m., & Ellison, N. B. (2007). Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), 210-230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brunsting, S., & Postmes, T. (2002). Social movement participation in the digital age: Predicting offline and online collective action. Small Group Research, 33(5), 525-554.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calhoun, C. (1998). Community without Propinquity Revisted: Communications Technology and the Transformation of the Urban Public Sphere. Sociological Inquiry, 68(3), 373–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Castells, M. (1997). The Power of Identity. Malden, MA et al.: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Castells, M. (2001). The Internet galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, business and society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Castells, M. (2007). Communication, power and counter-power in the network society. International Journal of Communication, 1, 238-266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diani, M. (2000). Social Movement Networks Virtual and Real. Information, Communication and Society, 3(3), 386-01.

    Google Scholar 

  • DiMaggio, P., Hargittai, E., Neuman, W. R., & Robinson, J. P. (2001). Social implications of the Internet. Annual Review of Sociology, 27(1), 307-336.

    Google Scholar 

  • Downing, J. (2001). Radical media: Rebellious communication and social movements. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carty, V. (2011). Wired and mobilizing: Social movements, new technology, and electoral politics. New York and Oxon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Earl, J., Kimport, K., Prieto, G., Rush, C., & Reynoso, K. (2010). Changing the world one webpage at a time: Conceptualizing and explaining Internet activism. Mobilization: An International Quarterly, 15(4), 425-446.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elin, L. (2003). The radicalization of Zeke Spier: How the Internet contributes to civic engagement and new forms of social capital. In M. McCarthy & M.D. Ayers (Eds.), Cyberactivism: Online activism in theory and practice (p. 97–114). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Garrett, R. K. (2006). Protest in an information society: A review of literature on social movements and new ICTs. Information, Communication & Society, 9(2), 202–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geser, H. (2001). On the Functions and Consequences of the Internet for Social Movements and Voluntary Associations. Sociology in Switzerland: Social Movements, Pressure Groups and Political Parties. Online Publications. Zurich, March, 2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gibson, R. K., Howard, P. E., & Ward, S. (2000). Social capital, Internet connectedness & political participation: A four-country study. Prepared for the 2000 International Political Science Association, Québec, Canada. Retrieved from http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=A7F36DA8F859F09FA0B5C9749C8C72DE?doi=10.1.1.11.8677&rep=rep1&-type=pdf

  • Groshek, J. (2009). The democratic effects of the Internet, 1994—2003: A cross-national inquiry of 152 countries. International Communication Gazette, 71(3), 115-136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammersley, M. (1990). Reading ethnographic eesearch: A critical guide. London: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanafi, S. (2005). Reshaping geography: Palestinian community networks in Europe and the new media. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 31(3), 581-598.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harlow, S., & Guo, L. (2014). Will the revolution be tweeted or facebooked? Using digital communication tools in immigrant activism. Journal of Computer‐Mediated Communication, 19(3), 463-478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hindman, M. (2008). The myth of digital democracy. Oxford: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard, P. N., & Hussain, M. M. (2011). The role of digital media. Journal of Democracy, 22(3), 35-48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Iazzolino, G. (2010). Digital Shahid – From Broadcast Media to Citizen Journalism in Palestine. Arab Media Society (12). Retrieved from http://www.arabmediasociety.com/articles/downloads/20101211120136_Iazzolino.pdf

  • Jamali, M., & Abolhassani, H. (2006, December). Different aspects of social network analysis. In 2006 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Web Intelligence (p. 66-72). Retrieved from http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/mostRecentIssue.jsp?punumber=4061321

  • Kidd, D. (2003). Indymedia.org: a new communications commons. In M. McCarthy & M.D. Ayers (Eds.), Cyberactivism: Online activism in theory and practice (p. 47–69). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lei, Y. W. (2011). The political consequences of the rise of the Internet: Political beliefs and practices of Chinese netizens. Political Communication, 28(3), 291-322.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leizerov, S. (2000). Privacy advocacy groups versus intel. A case study of how social movements are tactically using the internet to fight corporations. Social Science Computer Review, 18(4), 461-483.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lynch, M. (2011). After Egypt: The limits and promise of online challenges to the authoritarian Arab state. Perspectives on Politics, 9(2), 301–310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Masoud, T. (2011). The Road to (and from) Liberation Square. Journal of Democracy, 22(3), 20–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morozov, E. (2009). Iran: Downside to the ‘‘Twitter revolution’’. Dissent, 56(4), 10–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morozov, E. (2011). The net delusion: The dark side of Internet freedom. New York, NY: PublicAffairs.

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers, D. J. (2000). Media, communication technology, and protest waves. In Trabalho apresentado na conferência. Social Movement Analysis: The Network Perspective, Ross Priory, Scotland (p. 22-25).

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, P. (2001). Digital Divide: Civic engagement, information poverty, and the Internet worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, P. (2004). The bridging and bonding role of online communities. In P. N. Howard & S. Jones (Eds.), Society online: The Internet in context (p. 31–41). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polat, R. K. (2005). The Internet and Political Participation Exploring the Explanatory Links. European Journal of Communication, 20(4), 435-459.

    Google Scholar 

  • Postmes, T., & Brunsting, S. (2002). Collective action in the age of the Internet mass communication and online mobilization. Social Science Computer Review, 20(3), 290-301.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qawasmi H. & Othman D., (2016). Hashtag Palestine: Palestinian Social Media Activity during7amleh – Arab Center for Social Media Advancement. Retrieved from http://www.7amleh.org/en/article/62

  • Rheingold. H. (1993). The virtual community: homesteading on the electronic frontier. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rheingold, H. (2002). Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution. New York: Perseus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rheingold, H. (2008). Using participatory media and public voice to encourage civic engagement. In W. L. Bennett (Eds.), Civic life online: learning how digital media can engage youth (p. 97–118). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubin, H. & Rubin, I. (1995). Qualitative interviewing: The art of hearing data. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sassenberg, K., & Postmes, T. (2002). Cognitive and strategic processes in small groups: Effects of anonymity of the self and anonymity of the group on social influence. British Journal of Social Psychology, 41(3), 463-480.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shirky, C. (2008). Here Comes Everybody! The Power of Organizing Without Organizations. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shulman, S. W. (2009). The case against mass e-mails: Perverse incentives and low quality public participation in the U.S. federal rulemaking. Policy and Internet, 1(1). Retrieved from http://www.psocommons.org/policyandinternet/vol1/iss1/art2/

  • Siapera, E. (2010). Networked Palestine: Exploring Power in Online Palestinian Networks. Orient – Deutsche Zeitschrift fur Politik und Wirtschaft des Orients, 51(1), 25-37.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slouka, M. (1995). War of the Worlds: Cyberspace and the High-tech Assault on Reality. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Social Studio (2016). Social Media Report in Palestine. Retrieved from https://socialstudio.me/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/SMRP2016-Eng.pdf

  • Stein, L. (2009). Social movement web use in theory and practice: A content analysis of US movement websites. New Media & Society, 11(5), 749-771.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stevenson, W. B., & Greenberg, D. (2000). Agency and social networks: Strategies of action in a social structure of position, opposition, and opportunity. Administrative Science Quarterly, 45(4), 651-678.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tilly, C. (2004). Social Movements 1768-2004. Boulder, CO: Paradigm Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van de Donk, W., Loader, B. D., Nixon, P. G., & Rucht, D. (2004). Cyberprotest: New media, citizens and social movements. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Valenzuela, S., Arriagada, A., & Scherman, A. (2012). The social media basis of youth protest behavior: The case of Chile. Journal of Communication, 62(2), 299–314.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitak, J., Zube, P., Smock, A., Carr, C. T., Ellison, N., & Lampe, C. (2011). It’s complicated: Facebook users’ political participation in the 2008 election. CyberPsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 14(3), 107-114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walther, M. (2014) Repatriation to France and Germany, A Comparative Study Based on Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice. Wiesbaden: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wasserman, S., & Faust, K. (1994). Social network analysis: Methods and applications (Vol. 8). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wellman, B. (2001). Physical place and cyberplace: The rise of personalized networking. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 25(2), 227-252.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wellman, B. (2000). Changing connectivity: A future history of Y2. 03K. Sociological Research Online, 4(4). Retrieved from http://www.socresonline.org.uk/4/4/wellman.html

  • Wilhelm, A. (2000). Democracy in the Digital Age. New York: Routledge

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, C. (2013). Interview techniques for UX practitioners: A user-centered design method. Newnes: Elsevier Science.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Abir Kopty

Authors
  1. Abir Kopty
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abir Kopty .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Publizistik, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Carola Richter

  2. FU Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Anna Antonakis

  3. Inst. Für Politikwiss., Freie Univ. Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Cilja Harders

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2018 Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden GmbH

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Kopty, A. (2018). Power Dynamics in Online Communities: The Palestinian Case. In: Richter, C., Antonakis, A., Harders, C. (eds) Digital Media and the Politics of Transformation in the Arab World and Asia. Studies in International, Transnational and Global Communications. Springer VS, Wiesbaden. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-20700-7_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-20700-7_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer VS, Wiesbaden

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-658-20699-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-658-20700-7

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation