ABSTRACT
Despite the recognition that the digital divide influences political participation, scholars primarily focus on how bridging the “information gap” is critical to social inclusion. This approach, however, obscures other basic obstacles that individuals face when it comes to participation in activism—obstacles that may (or may not) be mitigated by ICTs. Drawing on participant observation data and 52 interviews with supporters of https://MoveOn.org">MoveOn.org and the Florida Tea Party Movement, we identify three obstacles to participation—motivational obstacles, organizational obstacles, and feelings of efficacy—and explore how SMOs can use ICTs to overcome them. We find that organizations can use ICTs to help individuals overcome motivational obstacles by connecting information to political activities and by creating opportunities for individuals to learn new political skills. Additionally, we find that organizations can overcome organizational obstacles by cultivating identities focused on supporters’ roles as citizens and make them feel efficacious by linking them to a larger political community.
