I read DiMaio's article but, to me, it actually affirms the efficacy of online political organizing tools and how they can transform politics. In DiMaio's example, a group of previously unorganized citizens organized and despite not winning any seats in their first try at electoral politics, they seem to have disrupted and challenged the town's entrenched party system and at least perhaps forced it to be more responsive to citizens outside of their organizations. I think Andrew Chadwick's work on parties and the internet is illuminating here. These initial organizing efforts create what he has described as "sedimentary networks." It is not surprising that these networks would morph into some hybrid sort of organization that is part grassroots, e-citizen social movement, and part political party. I would also expect the established parties to try and adopt the digital network repertiores (again, see Chadwick) of the citizen league. If the test of whether online political groups matter is simply whether or not they can usher in a pure form of direct democracy and avoid "corruption" by becoming more like institutions themselves, then I think analysts will miss important changes that are happening right before our eyes.
I read DiMaio's article but, to me, it actually affirms the efficacy of online political organizing tools and how they can transform politics. In DiMaio's example, a group of previously unorganized citizens organized and despite not winning any seats in their first try at electoral politics, they seem to have disrupted and challenged the town's entrenched party system and at least perhaps forced it to be more responsive to citizens outside of their organizations. I think Andrew Chadwick's work on parties and the internet is illuminating here. These initial organizing efforts create what he has described as "sedimentary networks." It is not surprising that these networks would morph into some hybrid sort of organization that is part grassroots, e-citizen social movement, and part political party. I would also expect the established parties to try and adopt the digital network repertiores (again, see Chadwick) of the citizen league. If the test of whether online political groups matter is simply whether or not they can usher in a pure form of direct democracy and avoid "corruption" by becoming more like institutions themselves, then I think analysts will miss important changes that are happening right before our eyes.