Membership in the digital era : Swedish trade unions’ use of Internet and social media
(2020) In Sociologisk Forskning 57(1). p.43-66- Abstract
- The aim of the article is to explore trade unions’ use of Internet and social media in communicating with members and to understand membership in the digital era. A point of departure is that new forms of relationships between individuals and organizations are on the rise as our present societies become more digitalized, which has changed how citizens interact, mobilize, and organize. Digitalization has been discussed as a driving factor behind membership decline and disengagement, but also as an opportunity to revitalize the labor movement. Drawing on theories on social movements, interest groups, and civil society organizations the article adopts a multi-dimensional perspective that understands membership as participation, resource,... (More)
- The aim of the article is to explore trade unions’ use of Internet and social media in communicating with members and to understand membership in the digital era. A point of departure is that new forms of relationships between individuals and organizations are on the rise as our present societies become more digitalized, which has changed how citizens interact, mobilize, and organize. Digitalization has been discussed as a driving factor behind membership decline and disengagement, but also as an opportunity to revitalize the labor movement. Drawing on theories on social movements, interest groups, and civil society organizations the article adopts a multi-dimensional perspective that understands membership as participation, resource, representativeness, and identity. It presents results from a qualitative study of two Swedish trade unions. The empirical data consists of documentation from websites and social media complemented by interviews with employees with knowledge about the unions’ Internet and social media communication. The results show that Swedish unions do not seem to be adapting to new technologies, rather using them as opportunities for strengthening and reviving membership without re-formulating its premises. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- The aim of the article is to explore trade unions’ use of Internet and social media in communicating with members and to understand membership in the digital era. A point of departure is that new forms of relationships between individuals and organizations are on the rise as our present societies become more digitalized, which has changed how citizens interact, mobilize, and organize. Digitalization has been discussed as a driving factor behind membership decline and disengagement, but also as an opportunity to revitalize the labor movement. Drawing on theories on social movements, interest groups, and civil society organizations the article adopts a multi-dimensional perspective that understands membership as participation, resource,... (More)
- The aim of the article is to explore trade unions’ use of Internet and social media in communicating with members and to understand membership in the digital era. A point of departure is that new forms of relationships between individuals and organizations are on the rise as our present societies become more digitalized, which has changed how citizens interact, mobilize, and organize. Digitalization has been discussed as a driving factor behind membership decline and disengagement, but also as an opportunity to revitalize the labor movement. Drawing on theories on social movements, interest groups, and civil society organizations the article adopts a multi-dimensional perspective that understands membership as participation, resource, representativeness, and identity. It presents results from a qualitative study of two Swedish trade unions. The empirical data consists of documentation from websites and social media complemented by interviews with employees with knowledge about the unions’ Internet and social media communication. The results show that Swedish unions do not seem to be adapting to new technologies, rather using them as opportunities for strengthening and reviving membership without re-formulating its premises.
(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/9214b870-d84a-4d29-a128-0d64a1909f03
- author
- Scaramuzzino, Gabriella LU and Scaramuzzino, Roberto LU
- organization
- alternative title
- Medlemskap i en digital tid : Svenska fackförbunds användning av internet och sociala medier
- publishing date
- 2020-04-09
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- medlemskap, Sociala medier, Fackförbund, civilsamhället, Sverige, membership, trade unions, civil society, social media, Sweden
- in
- Sociologisk Forskning
- volume
- 57
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 23 pages
- publisher
- Sveriges Sociologförbund
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85096134757
- ISSN
- 0038-0342
- DOI
- 10.37062/sf.57.20171
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 9214b870-d84a-4d29-a128-0d64a1909f03
- date added to LUP
- 2020-04-14 08:56:06
- date last changed
- 2022-04-18 21:40:29
@article{9214b870-d84a-4d29-a128-0d64a1909f03,
abstract = {{The aim of the article is to explore trade unions’ use of Internet and social media in communicating with members and to understand membership in the digital era. A point of departure is that new forms of relationships between individuals and organizations are on the rise as our present societies become more digitalized, which has changed how citizens interact, mobilize, and organize. Digitalization has been discussed as a driving factor behind membership decline and disengagement, but also as an opportunity to revitalize the labor movement. Drawing on theories on social movements, interest groups, and civil society organizations the article adopts a multi-dimensional perspective that understands membership as participation, resource, representativeness, and identity. It presents results from a qualitative study of two Swedish trade unions. The empirical data consists of documentation from websites and social media complemented by interviews with employees with knowledge about the unions’ Internet and social media communication. The results show that Swedish unions do not seem to be adapting to new technologies, rather using them as opportunities for strengthening and reviving membership without re-formulating its premises.}},
author = {{Scaramuzzino, Gabriella and Scaramuzzino, Roberto}},
issn = {{0038-0342}},
keywords = {{medlemskap; Sociala medier; Fackförbund; civilsamhället; Sverige; membership; trade unions; civil society; social media; Sweden}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{04}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{43--66}},
publisher = {{Sveriges Sociologförbund}},
series = {{Sociologisk Forskning}},
title = {{Membership in the digital era : Swedish trade unions’ use of Internet and social media}},
url = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/78353503/Membership_in_the_digital_era.pdf}},
doi = {{10.37062/sf.57.20171}},
volume = {{57}},
year = {{2020}},
}