Non-profit organisations way to success online
Lisen Selander’s research career began in Lund with a thesis examining resistance and cynicism in relation to digitalisation. However, she then read an Amnesty International opinion piece about the right to protest online, and changed her focus.
“I HAVE A SOFT SPOT for non-profit organisations. They’re important, and they give me faith in humanity.”
After reading the Amnesty International article, she contacted the human rights organisation and asked to study their digital organising. This led to two projects funded by the Marcus and Marianne Wallenberg Foundation, whereby Amnesty International was the subject of research into how non-profit movements organise themselves digitally.
“Amnesty was very interesting. They dared to try out new forms of engagement. For example, they developed a digital platform where they invited digital volunteers into their various investigation projects. For example, they posted satellite images of Darfur with the aim of identifying the destruction that has taken place there by comparing images.”
On the very first day, Amnesty International saw 4,500 digital volunteers put in 525 hours to analyse 33,000 square kilometres of land in Sudan, which would have been impossible to organise without the internet.
“My research is all about trying to understand how we engage in a digital society, and examining the digital transformation of non-profit organisations. The digital landscape has attracted new groups, some of which behave differently compared to traditional volunteers. Research points towards more ‘agile’, short-term and focused engagement on specific issues. This is an expression of the transformation that has taken place in the Western world, whereby it’s harder to find local enthusiasts who are fully committed to a non-profit organisation throughout their entire lives.”
HER RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS the pros and cons of digital organising. The ability to reach many more and entirely new groups of people through digital tools allows organisations to grow their membership rapidly. At the same time, however, the movement turns more heterogeneous and the organisation becomes weaker as opinions about ‘the point of association’ become more diverse. We therefore sometimes talk about a digital paradox.
“I would say this is very topical within research. How can non-profit organisations defend their core values and be resilient, while at the same time adapting and innovating?” asks Lisen. “They also need to deal with new digital circumstances, such as misinformation and cybersecurity threats, and develop a form of resilient digital infrastructure to ensure that systems continue to work during crises and disasters when they are needed the most.”
Traditionally, organisations have an inherent resistance to change; they are cautious, and are reluctant to shift their positions. Non-profit organisations have often been around for a long time, and have a legacy to manage. However, this is challenged by digital technologies.
“Digital technologies are generative, meaning that they can change and data can be reused, updated or deleted. In this way, the technologies and the data can change their meaning over time and space, which is an aggravating circumstance in digital organising.”
The BBC recently reported on a case from Iran, where images from traffic surveillance cameras had changed their purpose and were being used to issue punishments against women who wore their hijab incorrectly, according to the regime.
THE KEY TO REMAINING relevant will be for non-profit organisations to digitalise and innovate without leaving behind what has been their strength since the beginning – what Lisen describes as local backing.
“Look at what happened after the school shooting in Örebro. The Red Cross was in position quickly with its crisis response and its online emergency services. The local association was already there. They knew the people and the local environment, and they have resources, established processes and the power to act. The question is this: How can they – and other organisations – maintain a local presence in a digital world?”
To answer this question, Lisen has started a new research project with the Red Cross, in which she will investigate how they work digitally to attract new groups of people while maintaining their core operations. She notes that, just like Amnesty International, the Red Cross is innovative and dares to think outside the box.
“They’re value-driven, and they’re central carriers of society. I believe that they can benefit from the digitalisation of society and can also find digital enthusiasts who can strengthen non-profit and local forces. We need to protect these types of organisations – at times like these more than ever.” föreningen” blir fler. Vi talar därför ibland om en digital paradox.
Lisen Selander
Work: Professor of Informatics.
Age: 46.
Family: Jonas, Eva-Li and Emmett.
Leisure interests: When I’m not doing research, I go running!
Text: Olof Lönnehed
THEN: “Slacktivism, which loosely translates as activism with little effort. A distinction was drawn between online and offline volunteering. Instead of holding up placards and demonstrating outside an embassy, people who were sympathetic to the organisation’s ideas could sit at their computers and contribute for a few minutes. What happened online was seen as being worth less, as it was classed as convenient and less of a sacrifice. It was not a productive discussion, and we have now moved on from it.”
NOW: “It’s hard to imagine a value-based movement that doesn’t have a digital strategy. Physical and digital organising are intertwined. We see that the local infrastructure of non-profit organisations is also critical, but that there is a growing need to reach out to new groups of volunteers. To do that, a digital infrastructure is needed.”
THE FUTURE: “Value-based organisations need to be able to manage digital misinformation and disinformation while being innovative themselves. This requires tech skills and digital capacity. I think non-profit organisations have an excellent opportunity to reach out amid the noise of information. Getting involved is a way of helping to create meaning, and who doesn’t want that?”