ISBN-13: 9783709113394 / Angielski / Twarda / 2014 / 231 str.
ISBN-13: 9783709113394 / Angielski / Twarda / 2014 / 231 str.
This work addresses the gap in the current collective action literature by exploring both methodological and theoretical underpinnings in the new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) landscape, bringing together qualitative and quantitative studies from computational and social sciences focusing on online collective actions and promoting a symbiotic and synergistic advancement of the multiple, interconnected disciplines in studying online collective actions. More specifically, the book is intended to illuminate several fundamental and powerful yet theoretically undeveloped and largely unexplored aspects of collective action in social media. Through in-depth exploration of relevant concepts, theories, methodologies, applications and case studies, the reader will gain an advanced and in-depth understanding of collective action with the advent of the new generation of ICTs enabled by social media and the Internet. The developed theories will be valuable and comprehensive references for those interested in examining the role of ICTs not only in collective action but also in decision and policy making, understanding the dynamics of interaction, collaboration, cooperation, communication, as well as information flow and propagation and social network research for years to come. Contemporary collective actions cannot be separated from the uses of social media. In various recent protests, social media are described as important tools for the disparate crowd to communicate, coordinate, organize and mobilize itself. Questions such as how social media influences, changes or shapes (or not) the ways in which people collectively mobilize themselves are addressed. Further, the book also serves as an extensive repository of data sets and tools that can be used by researchers leading to a continuous and synergistic advancement of the disciplines.