TOOL FOR CHANGE OR JUST MORE EMAIL SPAM? A STUDY OF ON-LINE PETITIONS AND THEIR EFFICACY
Lynn M. Hamilton
Pages: 170-179
Published: 1 Jan 2013
Views: 501
Downloads: 53
Abstract: This paper examines a set of two hundred on-line petitions that were produced by the same two-person team over the course of eight months. While only a few of them were completely successful--as measured by full compliance with the petition request, it is possible to draw a few tentative conclusions about what factors contribute to a successful petition. The most important factors in successful on-line petitions would seem to be: email distribution to a targeted list of socially active individuals who share the same core political and social beliefs that underlie the petition; targets who belong to a stable, democratic nation with an established history of protecting free expression; and very specific, easily achievable requests that do not represent significant expenditure or effort on the part of the party who is called on to take action.
Keywords: petition, social change, advocacy, politics, feng jianmei, pussy riot, hy-vee, lange’s metalmark butterfly
Cite this article: Lynn M. Hamilton. TOOL FOR CHANGE OR JUST MORE EMAIL SPAM? A STUDY OF ON-LINE PETITIONS AND THEIR EFFICACY. Journal of International Scientific Publications: Media & Mass Communication 2, 170-179 (2013). https://www.scientific-publications.net/en/article/1002982/
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