Internet-driven changes in environmental NGO action

Pedro Pereira Neto

OberCom – Communication Observatory

&
Institute for the Social Sciences (University of Lisbon)

Doctoral Students' Meeting

ICT&S - University of Salzburg
June 20-21, 2008
 Main research question:
How 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?

 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 and repertoires.

Why study ENGOs?

- they pursue one of the most politically influential and time enduring agendas.
 Which ENGOs?
- LPN, an organization with nationwide scope and reach, and one of the
most centralized structure;
- GEOTA, a nationwide NGO based on protocols with other local
organizations;
- Quercus, a nationwide organization decentralized through own local
branches;
- GAIA, a university-based NGO with local/regional reach.
 Method:
- documentation analysis (both internal and external), collected in situ and taken
from their websites;

- interviews with individual representatives with top institutional roles and a

long record of membership (assuring a close knowledge of internal NGO
mechanisms;

- ENGO work meetings attendance.

 State of the art:
Approaches 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 underlying dimensions in
which such interaction takes place;

- placing the devices outside the social system, when they should be taken for a
social product in constant adaptation processes.
 Main 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 should not underrate continuity aspects behind social
phenomena.

Evolutionary nature of the relation between organization and political action,

and the Internet:

- Refusing positivist neo-hypodermism;

- Refusing discontinuity and a-historical logics.

 Analysis model: a three-dimensional approach
1. macro-analysis: the role of political and economical opportunity structure

2. medium range analysis: the role of the technological infrastructure

3. micro-analysis: ICT representations and frames

 1. Macro-analysis: the role of context
If NGOs are political actors aiming to change their context, its traits, although
not explaining action by themselves, become central. 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, Portugal is 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 seen some environmental objectives make it into the political agendas.
 1. Macro-analysis: the role of context
- less than half (42%) of the Portuguese population uses (or has used) the
Internet (OberCom, 2007);

- a digital divide still remains: portuguese nationals below 24 years of 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.

 2. Medium-range analysis: the role of the
technological infrastructure
ICTs are many sometimes reduced by theorists to an instrumental role 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 contexts decisively
influenced by Information, ENGOs must adapt to the context in which they
develop their action.
 2.1. Medium-range analysis: empirical notes
- at GEOTA «e-mail is the preferential means of communication. Since its
introduction, a great deal of our communicative practice went from paper and
phone to e-mail. E-communication surpassed all others, especially in terms of
the number of people who can be contacted at the same time»;

- ICT use was «the solution Quercus found to minimize costs, both in terms of
labour and connections»;

- at GAIA, conventional mail is scarcely used, and a statutory revision is due to

allow for Assemblies to be summoned by e-mail; decisions from face-to-face
meetings still outnumber e-mail-based ones. 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.
 2.2.1. ICT potential use limitations:
technical issues
- greater use of ICTs by GEOTA only depends on own «technological and
financial resources, since there already exist the required infrastructures in the
country».

- not everyone shares this view: GAIA's official stated that «if Portugal had
better Internet networks, GAIA would probably have its work eased»;

- 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 would take everyone to possess those means at
home».
 2.2.2. ICT potential use limitations: counterparts
- at GEOTA «paper is used only for formal issues or those imposed by statutory
regulation»;

- at LPN «replacing paper with e-mail is not more frequent since paper is
irreplaceable for some issues, and for other matters counterparts such as the
State will simply not accept an electronic format»;

- at GAIA, 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.
 3. Micro-analysis: the role of user values
One shouldn't join the “democracy crisis” bandwagon, but revisit Democracy 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 sphere strictu sensu.

Grounded on personal fluid subjectivity, it is constantly reinvented and

expanded into new territories, relying on a shared consensus around a minimum
set of values.
 3.1. Citizen participation
Relatively low figures (1.7% take part in political parties, 0.9% in activist
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% in electoral

campaigns, 3% in demonstrations, 1.6% in strikes, and 4.6% in petitions).

Internet users are more involved (2.5% v. 2% in electoral campaigns, 4.6% v.

2.2% in demonstrations, and 7.3% v. 3.3% in petitions).
 3.2. Citizen environmental awareness
Data collected by OBSERVA (1997 and 2001) show:

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

- less than half (around 45%) predicts the environmental situation in the 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 the Green agenda
(70% in 1997 and 80% in 2001), it did not produce significant participation or
activism (less than 5%).
 3.3. Citizen “passive action”?
Portuguese citizens' political participation seems to favour passive activities that
do not constrain everyday life. On the other hand, passive modes of
environment-related information search are favoured: 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%).
 3.4. Internet's impact on citizen action and
awareness
Portuguese citizens minimize the Internet's impact of politics (only 13% believe
it allows for a better understanding of it, 11% believe people 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 (on understanding, 18% v.
10% within non-users; on word 15% v. 9%; and on power, 10% v. 8%).

Is ENGO strategy right

for the country's current ICT representation
and use?
 Sum-up: the general perspective
Activism, specially that of an environmental nature, has been one of the
analytical feuds for assessing societal dynamics, as well as society's
pervasiveness and response to technology. The analytical triad followed in this
paper showed, first of all, that despite the impact of ICTs in society, and
specifically in political and environmental 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 both of them,
unfolding in specific contexts with specific constraints and opportunities.
 Sum-up: the analytical triad

- On a macro-social sense, a highly centralized Portuguese political system,

where no significant Green Party exists, is not so open to the Green agenda.
Cooperation between highly centralized decision-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 setting networks with
other organizations and for broadcasting agendas through the media. However, it
has not prompted major structural changes: the most common scenario found
was Internet use for the same ends as before. Although tools such as e-mail have
become standard in their work, ENGO structure still depends much more on
goals and user characteristics.
 Sum-up: the analytical triad
- on a micro-level sense, ENGO action repertoires depend, on one hand, on the
Portuguese people's profiles (both personal and usage) as well as on their views
regarding environmental risks and participation, and on the other hand, on
ENGO members' cultural interpretative devices, namely representations of the
Green agenda and their organization's goal but also representations of what ICTs
can be used to.
The Internet as, then, still another chapter – not "the" chapter - in the History of
the interaction between technologies and ENGO, in the context of:

- political frames
- organizational needs
- technical infrastructures
- user characteristics

Assessing the importance of ICTs does not imply underrating the complex web
of contexts in which the evolutionary process of intertwining devices and people
takes place.