Short answer

When designing for collective action, prioritize the creation of resilient and adaptable communication infrastructures that empower decentralized coordination and strategic information sharing.

Field: Innovation & Design
Source: eScholarship (California Digital Library) (2015)
Method: Ethnographic research and case study analysis
Evidence: Strong effect

Networked social movements leverage information and communication technologies to forge new solidarities and achieve organizational capacity by overcoming traditional hierarchical structures. This innovation & design research insight is drawn from a 2015 study published in eScholarship (California Digital Library). Using Ethnographic research and case study analysis, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: When designing for collective action, prioritize the creation of resilient and adaptable communication infrastructures that empower decentralized coordination and strategic information sharing.

Study

Innovation & DesignHigh ImpactStrong effect

Decentralized Networks Amplify Collective Action Through Strategic Communication Infrastructure

Networked social movements leverage information and communication technologies to forge new solidarities and achieve organizational capacity by overcoming traditional hierarchical structures.

eScholarship (California Digital Library) · 2015

Key Findings

01Networked social movements rely heavily on information and communication technologies for communication and coordination.
02These movements exhibit decentralized decision-making and rapid mobilization capabilities, diverging from traditional social movement theories.
03The development of specific communication platforms is essential for mitigating communication failures and enhancing organizational capacity.
04The 'invisible work' of managing media and communication infrastructure is critical for sustaining these movements.

Application

Design takeaway

When designing for collective action, prioritize the creation of resilient and adaptable communication infrastructures that empower decentralized coordination and strategic information sharing.

How to apply

When designing platforms for community organizing, activism, or disaster response, consider features that facilitate rapid, decentralized communication and the sharing of strategic information.

Project actions

01Consider how your design can facilitate communication and coordination for a group.
02Think about the 'invisible' aspects of a system that enable its users to achieve their goals.
03Research how existing groups use technology to organize themselves.

Method & Evidence

AimHow do information and communication technologies enable decentralized social movements to coordinate campaigns and actions, and what are the implications for structuring collective action?

MethodEthnographic research and case study analysis

ProcedureThe researcher participated in the construction of a communication platform (InterOccupy.net) designed to address communication challenges within the Occupy movement, documenting the movement's history, communication strategies, and organizational capacity.

ContextNetworked social movements, specifically the Occupy movement

Variables

IVInformation and communication technologies, communication platform development

DVOrganizational capacity, coordination of campaigns and actions, social solidarities

CVNature of the social movement, existing communication channels

Strengths & Limitations

Strengths

+Provides an in-depth ethnographic account of technology use in social movements.
+Addresses the 'invisible work' of communication management, often overlooked in studies.

Limitations

The specific technologies and context of the Occupy movement might not directly translate to all design scenarios.

Reliability & validity

The ethnographic approach provides rich qualitative data, but generalizability may be limited. The researcher's participation could introduce bias, though it also provides deep insight.

Think critically

To what extent can the principles of decentralized communication infrastructure be applied to more formal organizational structures?

Design Principles

"Design communication systems that foster emergent coordination and resilience in networked environments."

Understanding how decentralized groups organize and communicate is crucial for designing effective platforms and strategies for collaboration in diverse contexts. This research highlights the importance of robust communication infrastructure in enabling rapid mobilization and sustained collective action, even in the absence of formal leadership.

What This Means for Your Design

Technology helps groups with no leaders work together effectively by giving them ways to talk and plan.

How to use in your project

1.Use this research to justify the importance of communication infrastructure in your design for a collaborative project.
2.Refer to this study when discussing the challenges and opportunities of designing for decentralized groups.

Add to My Project

Quick Cite

Paragraph starter

This research highlights the critical role of information and communication technologies in enabling decentralized social movements to achieve organizational capacity and coordinate collective action. The development of specialized communication platforms, such as InterOccupy.net, proved essential in mitigating communication failures and fostering new social solidarities across space and time, demonstrating the profound impact of well-designed communication infrastructure on the efficacy of networked groups.

Source

eScholarship (California Digital Library)

Technologies of Social Change: Mapping the Infrastructure of the Occupy Movement from #OccupyWallStreet to #OccupySandy

journal · 2015

View source

Questions About This Research

What does the research say about decentralized networks amplify collective action through strategic communication infrastructure?: When designing for collective action, prioritize the creation of resilient and adaptable communication infrastructures that empower decentralized coordination and strategic information sharing. Evidence: eScholarship (California Digital Library) (2015).
Why does "Decentralized Networks Amplify Collective Action Through Strategic Communication Infrastructure" matter for design?: Understanding how decentralized groups organize and communicate is crucial for designing effective platforms and strategies for collaboration in diverse contexts. This research highlights the importance of robust communication infrastructure in enabling rapid mobilization and sustained collective action, even in the absence of formal leadership.
How can designers apply this research?: When designing for collective action, prioritize the creation of resilient and adaptable communication infrastructures that empower decentralized coordination and strategic information sharing.
What were the main findings?: Networked social movements rely heavily on information and communication technologies for communication and coordination.. These movements exhibit decentralized decision-making and rapid mobilization capabilities, diverging from traditional social movement theories.. The development of specific communication platforms is essential for mitigating communication failures and enhancing organizational capacity.. The 'invisible work' of managing media and communication infrastructure is critical for sustaining these movements.
What research method was used?: Ethnographic research and case study analysis.
How strong is the evidence?: Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2015 journal from eScholarship (California Digital Library).
What should I do differently in my next project?: When designing platforms for community organizing, activism, or disaster response, consider features that facilitate rapid, decentralized communication and the sharing of strategic information.
What are the limitations?: The study focuses on a specific movement and its technologies, which may not be universally applicable to all networked social movements.