pedro pereira neto - Internet-driven changes in environmental NGO action

8/9/2019 pedro pereira neto - Internet-driven changes in environmental NGO action

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Internet-driven changes in environmental NGO action

Pedro Pereira Neto

OberCom Communication Observatory&

Institute for the Social Sciences (University of Lisbon)

Doctoral Students' MeetingICT&S - University of Salzburg

June 20-21, 2008


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Main research question:

H ow are NGO structure and action repertoires changed

by the use of ICTs?a) how have the traits of the Portuguese political system and

society shaped such integration?

b) how are ICTs seen by activists within NGOs?

c) how is NGO practice changed by such integration?


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Why study NGOs?

- they are one of the most dynamic actors in the political system;

- they promote cultural and structural decentralization issues;

- they point out the existence of a systemic problem;

- they embrace and (re)combine diverse action strategies andrepertoires.

W hy study ENGOs?

- they pursue one of the most politically influential and timeenduring agendas.


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W hich ENGOs?

- LPN , an organization with nationwide scope and reach, and one of themost centralized structure;

- GEOTA , a nationwide NGO based on protocols with other localorganizations;

- Quercus , a nationwide organization decentralized through own localbranches;

- GAIA , a university-based NGO with local/regional reach.


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M ethod:

- documentation analysis (both internal and external), collected in situ and taken from their websites;

- interviews with individual representatives with top institutional rolesand a long record of membership (assuring a close knowledge of

internal NGO mechanisms;

- ENGO work meetings attendance.


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S tate of the art:A pproaches persist which, from a social discontinuity standpoint,

set a causal relation between social change and technology:

- rendering universal what are contextual phenomena;

- focusing on the device, instead of the user and the underlyingdimensions in which such interaction takes place;

- placing the devices outside the social system, when they shouldbe taken for a social product in constant adaptation processes.


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M ain perspective:

Much of the debate regarding technological change, then,mistakes it for social change; but no social or cultural change

takes place as quickly as technological change does. One shouldnot underrate co ntinuity aspects behind social phenomena.

Evolutionary nature of the relation between organization andpolitical action, and the Internet:

- Refusing positivist neo-hypodermism;

- Refusing discontinuity and a-historical logics.


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A nalysis model: a three-dimensionalapproach

1. macro-analysis: the role of political and economical opportunitystructure

2. medium range analysis: the role of the technologicalinfrastructure

3. micro-analysis: ICT representations and frames


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1. M

acro-analysis: the role of contextIf NGOs are political actors aiming to change their context, itstraits, although not explaining action by themselves, becomecentral. Regime, economy and class-based social structure

stabilisation are determinant for the definition of NGO strategies:

- a 30 year-old democracy and a 20 year-old EU member, Portugalis undergoing a transition to an information-based economy, and

to European life standards and post-modern political values,such as environmental ones;

- Portugal only developed its industrial sector since the 1950s.Environmental political performance in Portugal is still meagre,namely in policy ambition and ecological parties' political

influence (OECD). only in the last few years has Portugal seensome environmental objectives make it into the political agendas.


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1. M acro-analysis: the role of context

- less than half (42%) of the Portuguese population uses (or hasused) the Internet (OberCom, 2007);

- a digital divide still remains: portuguese nationals below 24 yearsof age (60% in 2003 and 76% in 2006) and students (79% to 77.5%)

use the Internet the most (OberCom, 2008);

- only in the last few years has broadband gained momentum.


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2 . M edium-range analysis: the role of thetechnological infrastructure

ICTs are many sometimes reduced by theorists to an instrumentalrole in an organization's internal and external interactions,

underrating their structural impact;

There are reason to believe the use of ICT changes activism,strengthening ties between local and national branches of one

same NGO, as well as between NGOs;

Since most events in the lives of citizens now unfold in contextsdecisively influenced by Information, ENGOs must adapt to the

context in which they develop their action.


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2 .1. M edium-range analysis: empirical notes- at GEOT A e-ma il is the pr efe r e nti a l mea ns o f co mm uni c a tio n.

Sinc e its intr od u c tio n, a gr ea t d ea l o f o ur co mm uni c a tive pr a c tic e w e nt f r o m p a p e r a n d ph o n e to e-ma il. E-co mm uni c a tio n

surp a sse d a ll o th e rs, e sp e c ia lly in t e r m s o f th e nu mbe r o f p e o pl e wh o c a n be co nt a c te d a t th e same time ;

- ICT use was th e so lutio n Qu e r c us f o un d to m inim ize co sts, b o th inte r m s o f lab o ur a n d co nn e c tio ns ;

- at G A IA , conventional mail is scarcely used, and a statutoryrevision is due to allow for A ssemblies to be summoned by e-mail;

decisions from face-to-face meetings still outnumber e-mail-basedones. Its use of this form of communication is so widespread that

daily meetings would otherwise be possible, and no record of their projects is kept on paper.


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2 .2 .1. ICT potential use limitations:technical issues

- greater use of ICTs by GEOT A only depends on ownte c hn o lo gi c a l a n d f ina n c ia l r e so ur c e s, sin c e th e r e a lr ea d y ex ist

th e r eq uir e d inf r a stru c tur e s in th e co untry .

- not everyone shares this view: G A IA 's official stated that if Po rtug a l ha d be tt e r Int e rn e t n e tw o rks, GAIA w o uld pr o bab ly h a ve

its w o rk ea se d ;

- at Quercus, opportunities arising from ICT use are not fully met,since a few technologies that could be of importance to this NGO

are not widespread yet, such as video-conferencing: it w o uld ta ke e ve ryo n e to p o sse ss th o se mea ns a t h o me .


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2 .2 .2 . ICT potential use limitations:counterparts

- at GEOT A p a p e r is us e d o nly f o r f o r ma l issue s o r th o se im p o se d b y st a tut o ry r e gul a tio n ;

- at LPN r e pl a c ing p a p e r with e-ma il is no t m o r e f r eq u e nt sin c e p a p e r is irr e pl a c eab le f o r so me issue s, a n d f o r o th e r ma tt e rs

co unt e rp a rts su c h a s th e Sta te will sim ply n o t a cc e pt a n e le c tr o nic f o r ma t;

- at G A IA , although the potential benefits of ICT use are being met,there is still a considerable number of their counterparts that have

no e-mail checking routines.


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3 . M icro-analysis: the role of user values

One shouldn't join the democracy crisis bandwagon, but revisitDemocracy as a total concept, pointing out what portion of it is

at stake: traditional political participation mechanisms.We should refuse to remain hostage to narrow views of what

participation is, no longer played exclusively in the political spherestrictu sensu.

Grounded on personal fluid subjectivity, it is constantly reinventedand expanded into new territories, relying on a shared consensusaround a minimum set of values.


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3 .1. Citizen participation

Relatively low figures (1.7% take part in political parties, 0.9% inactivist groups, and 2.2% in volunteer organizations).

Internet users seem more willing to participate (on parties, 2% v.1%; on volunteer organizations, 3% v. 2%; on activist groups, 1% v.

1%).

Involvement in political events also assumes low figures (2.1% inelectoral campaigns, 3% in demonstrations, 1.6% in strikes, and

4.6% in petitions).

Internet users are more involved (2.5% v. 2% in electoralcampaigns, 4.6% v. 2.2% in demonstrations, and 7.3% v. 3.3% in

petitions).


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3 .2 . Citizen environmental awareness

Data collected by OBSERV A (1997 and 2001) show:

- 14% believe environmental issues are one of the main problems;

- less than half (around 45%) predicts the environmental situation inthe country will worsen;- 15% revealed contacting ENGOs in 2001;

- 62% of the inquired citizens considered themselves to be little or not informed regarding the subject, while only 34% stated they

knew enough.

Even though awareness translated into a high sympathy for theGreen agenda (70% in 1997 and 80% in 2001), it did not produce

significant participation or activism (less than 5%).


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3 .3 . Citizen passive action?

Portuguese citizens' political participation seems to favour passiveactivities that do not constrain everyday life. On the other hand,

passive modes of environment-related information search arefavoured: traditional media top the preference (89%), while only

11% prefer the Internet.

This happens in a context where one of the reasons pointed out for this meagre activism was lack of information (40%).


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3 .4. Internet's impact on citizen action andawareness

Portuguese citizens minimize the Internet's impact of politics (only13% believe it allows for a better understanding of it, 11% believepeople can have more to say about Government action, and 9%

believe it gives them more political power).

Internet users always give the Internet more credit (onunderstanding, 18% v. 10% within non-users; on word 15% v. 9%;

and on power, 10% v. 8%).

Is ENGO strategy rightf or the country's current ICT representation

and use?


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Sum-up: the general perspective

A ctivism, specially that of an environmental nature, has been one

of the analytical feuds for assessing societal dynamics, as well associety's pervasiveness and response to technology. The analyticaltriad followed in this paper showed, first of all, that despite the

impact of ICTs in society, and specifically in political andenvironmental activism, the focus should always be the user and its

characteristics, which come to terms with the nature of these

technical objects in an interdependent process that changes bothof them, unfolding in specific contexts with specific constraints andopportunities.


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Sum-up: the analytical triad

- On a macro-social sense, a highly centralized Portuguese politicalsystem, where no significant Green Party exists, is not so open to

the Green agenda. Cooperation between highly centralizeddecision-marking processes in political institutions and ad-hoc

project-based action in ENGOs is still not eased.

- On a medium-range sense, Internet use did allow for settingnetworks with other organizations and for broadcasting agendas

through the media. However, it has not prompted major structuralchanges: the most common scenario found was Internet use for

the same ends as before. A lthough tools such as e-mail havebecome standard in their work, ENGO structure still depends much

more on goals and user characteristics.


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Sum-up: the analytical triad

- on a micro-level sense, ENGO action repertoires depend, on onehand, on the Portuguese people's profiles (both personal and

usage) as well as on their views regarding environmental risks andparticipation, and on the other hand, on ENGO members' cultural

interpretative devices, namely representations of the Greenagenda and their organization's goal but also representations of

what ICTs can be used to.


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The Internet as, then, still another chapter not "the" chapter - inthe History of the interaction between technologies and ENGO, in

the context of:

- political frames- organizational needs- technical infrastructures

- user characteristics

A ssessing the importance of ICTs does not imply underrating the

complex web of contexts in which the evolutionary process ofintertwining devices and people takes place.

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pedro pereira neto - Internet-driven changes in environmental NGO action