Bimber compresentation3 19a

Information and American Democracy

Bimber

Joanna Nicodemus, Kevin Barhydt

Presentation Agenda

• • BackgroundBackground• • Bimbers’ ContextBimbers’ Context• • Theory and MethodTheory and Method• • Information Revolutions and Regime TheoryInformation Revolutions and Regime Theory• • Historical Theoretical ClaimHistorical Theoretical Claim• • ClosingClosing

BackgroundBackground

Chapter 1 – Information and Political Change

It does not appear that

new technology leads to

higher levels of political

engagement

The access of informationthrough technology ismore unequal then thenorm of equality in society

The ability of those involved in

politics, such as lobbyist, to

overcome physical and social

barriers through technology

To explore an aspect of democratic politics in the United States about which is surprisingly little known: the relationship between characteristics of political power and practice.

A largely null finding of participation and

effects

Existence of digital divide between

individuals

Presence of novel forms of collective

action

Three Main QuestionsThree Main Questions


Democracy

Information Technology

What do stories like “Know Your

Customer” mean?

Will similar developments lead

to political transition as well as technical

change?

What do the possibilities portend

for how scholars theorize about

politics?

P. 5

What is InformationWhat is Information


“Knowledge communicated concerning some particular fact, subject, or event.”

Oxford English Dictionary

Bimber does NOT exclude information to fact!

OpinionsStatements

by politicians

Research


MethodMethod

Information Information Matters!!Matters!!

Historical Contemporary

Information Revolution

1. A set of dominant properties of political information, such as high cost.

2. A set of opportunities and constraints on the management of politicalinformation that these properties create.

3. The appearance of characteristic political organizations and structuresadapted to those opportunities and constraints.

Information Revolution


First Information Revolution: 1820s-1830sFirst Information Revolution: 1820s-1830s

Technological and institutional developments lead to:

The first possibilities for mass flows of political information

These contributed to the information regime with:

A centralized, simple system of political organizations (parties) serving as the dominant influence on policy-making and collective

action.


Third Information Revolution: 1950s-1970sThird Information Revolution: 1950s-1970s

Technological development leads to:

Possibilities for commanding the attention of a national-scale mass audience.


A centralized, extremely resource-dependent system of market-driven organizations capable of influencing policy-making and

some forms of collective action along with the specialized political organizations of the previous information regime.


Second Information Revolution: 1880s-1910sSecond Information Revolution: 1880s-1910s

Socio-economic development leads to:

National-scale political information growing costly, specialized, and complex.


A decentralized, complex system of specialized and resource-dependent organizations (interest groups) serving as the dominant

influence on policy-making and collective action.


First Information Revolution: 1820s-1830sFirst Information Revolution: 1820s-1830s


The first possibilities for mass flows of political information


A centralized, simple system of political organizations (parties) serving as the dominant influence on policy-

making and collective action.

Second Information Revolution: 1880s-1910sSecond Information Revolution: 1880s-1910s

Socio-economic development leads to:

National scale political information growing costly, specialized and complex.


A decentralized, complex system of specialized and resource-dependent organizations (interest groups)

serving as the dominant influence on policy-making and collective action.

Third Information Revolution: 1950s-1970sThird Information Revolution: 1950s-1970s


Possibilities for commanding the attention of a national-scale mass audience.


A centralized, extremely resource-dependent system of market-driven organizations capable of influencing

policy-making and some forms of collective action, along with the specialized political organization of the previous

information regime.

Fourth Information Revolution: 1990s-Fourth Information Revolution: 1990s-


Condition of information abundance.

This contributes to the possibilities of an information regime with:

Post-bureaucratic political organization as the basis for policy-making and collective action

Chapter 2 – Information Revolutions in American Political Development

INFORMATION INFORMATION

Federal Government

LocalGovernment

LocalGovernment

LocalGovernment

FederalistFederalist Anti-FederalistAnti-Federalist

Centralized De-centralized

Information Theory of the FederalistInformation Theory of the Federalist


Information Theory of the FederalistInformation Theory of the Federalist

Information problems can be solved by: Increasing size and depth of government.

Information can not be generalized by the

government, but requires a specific knowledge.

Information overload on a centralized government will

become complex, so complex the state will fail.

High quantity of information can not only be accepted but should be welcomed because

of the perspectives it will bring to a centralized

government.

FederalistFederalist Anti-FederalistAnti-Federalist


First Information RevolutionFirst Information Revolution

179075 Post Offices

300,000 Letters/Year

1 Offices/43,000 People

.01 Letters/capita each year

184013,000+ Post Offices

40,000,000 Letters

1 Office/1,000 People

.325 Letters/capita each year*


First Information Revolution Cont’dFirst Information Revolution Cont’d

Early NewspaperEarly Newspaper

• • Primarily advertisementPrimarily advertisement• • Mostly Mercantile InformationMostly Mercantile Information• • Some Political InformationSome Political Information• • Targeted toward ElitesTargeted toward Elites• • Cost $0.6Cost $0.6

Penny PaperPenny Paper

• • Political and Public OpinionPolitical and Public Opinion• • Social and Community AffairsSocial and Community Affairs• • Targeted toward Mass AudienceTargeted toward Mass Audience• • Cost $0.1Cost $0.1

1850s-1860s Telegraph helped feed the fire of newspapers1850s-1860s Telegraph helped feed the fire of newspapers

Voting Participation rose!Voting Participation rose!10%-----182010%-----1820 80%-----184080%-----1840

REVOLUTIONREVOLUTION• • 35 Weeklies35 Weeklies• • 0 Dailies0 Dailies

1830s1830s• • 650 Weeklies650 Weeklies• • 65 Dailies65 Dailies


Second Information Revolution and the Second Information Revolution and the Roots of Pluralism - Roots of Pluralism - 1880 ~ 1910s1880 ~ 1910s

Industrial Revolution• Civic• Social• Public

More topicsMore information

Plurality of information

Interest Groups

• Unions• Consumer rights• Lobbyists

“mania forassociationformation”

Not a change of technology More an increase of information



• Radically altered communication• Vastly more complex information of all kinds

“Industrialization and Progressivismentailed as much a revolutionin information as in industry.”

EconomyNew forms of communication• Distribution of goods• Marketing and advertising• Polling the public



New opportunities for political organization…Changes in the dynamics of political engagement,Reduced the overall influence of the established political parties.

Altered electoral participation:1st IR - voting increased from 10% to 80% in 20 years2nd IR - . voting declined to 50% by the 1920s,

Variety and VibrancyJewish Women, Daughters of the American Revolution, Boy Scouts,

Girl Scouts, YMCA, Big Brother/Sisters, NESS, NLA, MHA

Professional Groups


Third Information Revolution and the Mass Third Information Revolution and the Mass Audience - 1950s ~ 1970sAudience - 1950s ~ 1970s

National audienceCentralizedExpensive

“This revolution did not so much displace the interest group-based second regime as hybridize it”

Broadcast media• Radio• Television

Influence policy


Third Information Revolution and the Mass Third Information Revolution and the Mass Audience - 1950s ~ 1970sAudience - 1950s ~ 1970s

Slow but steady embrace of mass media

Television 1928: Al Smith 1952: The Tipping Point

• 1st televised primary coverage• The “checkers” speech• Presidential Race

1953: Eisenhower’s inaugural address

Radio• Hoover• Collidge• Roosevelt’s fireside chats

1956 Presidential Rematch, nearly one-third of the expendituresfor national campaign committees went to broadcasting.

Fourth Information Revolution: 1990s ~Fourth Information Revolution: 1990s ~


Condition of information abundance.

This contributes to the possibilities of an information regime with:

Post-bureaucratic political organization as the basis for policy-making and collective action

Chapter 3 – Forth Information Revolution and Postbureauratic Pluralism


The Question of Information AbundanceThe Question of Information Abundance

MoneyStaffExperienceOrganization

“Resources confer command overinformation and communication…”

Obama 50MClinton 44M

Obama:is “better”has “power”is “winning”

“..and command over theseenhances political influence.”

What if technology changed that dynamic?



Low-cost channels for distribution

New technology to acquire information at low costs

Allow citizens to communicate directly with one another

Ability to distribute information globally

Ability to archive *

Five main aspects of information intensiveness in politics

* Makes the past more accessible to the present

“The lesson of the sequence of historical information revolutions is that information abundance should have

important effects on political organizations as intermediaries”.



Low-cost channels for distribution

New technology to acquire information at low costs

Allow citizens to communicate directly with one another

Ability to distribute information globally

Ability to archive *

* Makes the past more accessible to the present


The Bureaucratic Conception of PluralismThe Bureaucratic Conception of Pluralism


Postbureaucratic Political OrganizationPostbureaucratic Political Organization

Education

Bimber compresentation3 19a