The social media president : Barack Obama and the politics of digital engagement / James E. Katz, Michael Barris, and Anshul Jain.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Katz, James Everett, author.

Barris, Michael, author.

Jain, Anshul (Political scientist), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Obama, Barack.

Presidents--United States.

Presidents.

Social media--Political aspects.

Social media.

Communication in politics--Technological innovations.

Communication in politics.

United States.

Communication in politics--Technological innovations--United States.

Internet--Political aspects--United States.

Internet.

Internet--Political aspects.

Social media--Political aspects--United States.

Physical Description:

x, 215 pages ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Palgrave Macmillan, 2013.

Summary:

Prominent in Barack Obama's political campaigns and presidency has been a promise to allow Americans to affect the destiny of their country through social media, stirring the hopes of millions who believe in the democratizing potential of information and communication technology. Yet what has become of these promises? To what extent have they been realized? Shattering views of social media as a cure-all for limits on citizen deliberation and governmental representation, The Social Media President: Barack Obama and the Politics of Digital Engagement analyzes presidential use of Twitter, Facebook, and other online tools. Drawing on interviews, case materials, and social media content, the authors provide a bold take on a subject too prone to exaggerated expectations. By examining recent presidential campaigns and the actions of President Obama since taking office in 2009, a clearer picture emerges about the strengths and weaknesses of social media for public involvement. In terms of setting national policy, or getting systematic citizen input, a social media-enabled future would not only be difficult to implement with foreseeable technology, but would even erode, not advance, democracy. Yet social media is destined to play an ever-larger role in politics and policy, so the thoughtful attention the authors provide to the successes and missed opportunities of the Obama administration should command the interest of concerned citizens everywhere. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I Framing the Issue

1 Introduction and Overview 3

"Let Them Determine Its Course" 3

The Promise and Its Appeal 3

Models of American Government 4

Lines of Inquiry 6

Outline of the Book 9

2 Situating Social Media and Citizen Participation in the Obama Era 11

Definitions: Digital Engagement, Social Media, and the Social Media President 11

From One-way to Multi-way Communication: A Gateway to Becoming a Social Media President 14

Structures of Usage of the Public's Voice in White House Social Media Exercises 15

Three Modalities of Social Media Interaction between Government and Citizens 16

Topical Focus and Case Study Selection 18

3 Digital Media and Electoral Policies: An Abbreviated History 21

Elections and Governance as Digital Media Emerges 22

Digital Media and the Presidency: The Challenge of Governance 37

Part II The Obama Presidency

4 Framing the "People's White House": Crowdsourcing and the Citizen's Briefing Book 41

Expectations of Changing the Way Washington Works 41

Crowdsourcing in the Obama Administration Agenda: The Citizen's Briefing Book 44

Results of the Exercise 46

Impact of Report 49

Conclusion 50

5 White House Online Town Hall 51

Seeking to Engage the American Public via Social Media 51

Critics Evaluate the Online Town Hall 53

Questions of Control and Predictability in Open Forums 54

The Pattern Continues 56

Ideologies of Engagement and Nonengagement 58

Conclusion 61

6 Grand Challenges: Crowdsourcing a Vision for Science and Technology 63

"Fully Open Government" Grand Challenge 63

New Crowdsourcing Tool 65

Disconnection between Crowdsourcing and Policy Innovations 67

Conclusion 71

7 The Supreme Court Vacancies and the Healthcare Debate 73

Supreme Court Vacancies: Why Was Social Media Voting Not Used? 73

Social Media to Combat Opposition to Healthcare 78

Assessments of Healthcare Initiatives and Social Media 81

Conclusion 83

8 Social Media Modalities: Examples and Patterns from the Obama White House 85

Three Modalities of Social Media for Government Policy 85

The "We the People" Campaign 90

Other Efforts to Gain Engagement 95

Free Moral Labor: Engaged Citizens as Propagators of Presidential Viewpoints 103

Conclusion 108

9 Propagation of Social Media Modalities in the Federal Government 109

Resonance and Limits within the Administration 110

Implementation and Bureaucracy: Putting the Federal Data Sharing/Transparency Directive into Action 113

Broader Operational Goals and Transparency 116

Progress in the Early Obama Administration 117

Interbranch Realities: A Changed Landscape 119

Democracy Watchdogs Review President Obama s Early Social Media Strategy 120

Assessment of Progress in the Early Years across the Three Modalities 121

Recent Progress 123

Glass Suggestion Boxes, Domestic and International 125

Conclusion 126

Part III Perspectives and Outlook on the Social Media President

10 Analytical Perspectives 129

Sincere Motivations in a Constrained Landscape 129

Operational Shortcomings 135

Strategic Manipulation 140

The Nonfeasibility of Direct Mass Engagement 141

An Absence of Design 143

Additional Considerations 143

Top-Down Leadership and Pronouncements about Social Media 146

Social Media and Citizen Imagination: Bringing the President Close 147

Sustaining the Engagement 148

Conclusion: The Road Not Taken 151

11 Conclusions and Implications 153

Broader Patterns of Social Media Realities 153

Digital Divide and Fundamental Inequalities of Digital Engagement 157

Strengthening Bureaucracies in Surprising Ways 158

Blowback of Disappointed Supporters 160

Misplaced Faith in the Wisdom of the People, as Reflected in Plebiscites and Low-Interest Issues 160

Social Media Models of Behavior: "Economic Actor" Vis-à-vis "Technocratic Citizen" 161

Civic Culture and Empowerment 164

Covert Activities and Hidden Consequences 165

Is There a Future for Presidential Social Media? 165

Closing Remarks 166

Implications for Future Directions 167

Perils of Social Media Steering 168.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781137380845

1137380845

9781137380852

1137380853

OCLC:

861554036