Abstract

This article examines the role of advocacy organizations and their use of social media within the field of disability in Sweden. How do the organizations negotiate digital media, and what are the (intentional or unintentional) consequences related to the use of social media? With focus on the representatives of advocacy organizations, we study how they reflect and act in order to balance various motives, and what challenges and ambiguities that arise. On one hand, there is a perceived need to be online and communicate with members and the surrounding society. On the other hand, digital communication induces a divide between those who have the resources to take part in such communication, and those who do not – in terms of digital competence, economy, age, cognitive abilities, technical equipment and digital connection. The heterogeneity of resources and target groups inevitably challenges both the ideals of inclusion and intentions of advocacy organizations.

• Points of interest

• Today both individual persons and different organizations use social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and similar) to talk to each other, to find friends, to give and seek information about different things and possibly to gain support for their cause in public.

• Also advocacy organizations use social media to inform and support their members, to speak on behalf of their members and to society.

• This article studies how different disability advocacy organizations reflect upon the use of social media in their work – how they use it, why, and for who.

• This study shows how difficult it is to take the interest of different target groups into consideration – for example people with various disabilities, of different age and economic status, their families, and the wider society – and to still address and include everyone.

• Particularly young people, but also others, might not need advocacy organizations, they have social media.

摘要

本文探讨了倡导组织的作用及其在瑞典残疾领域中对社交媒体的使用。组织如何协商数字媒体，与使用社交媒体相关的（有意或无意的）后果是什么？我们以倡导组织的代表为重点，研究他们如何反映和采取行动以平衡各种动机，以及出现的挑战和模棱两可。一方面，人们意识到需要在线并与成员和周围的社会进行交流。另一方面，在数字能力、经济、年龄、认知能力、技术设备和数字连接方面，数字通信在有资源参与这种通信的人和没有资源的人之间造成了鸿沟。

• 兴趣点

• 今天，个人和不同的组织都使用社交媒体（Facebook、Instagram、Twitter 等）相互交谈、寻找朋友、提供和寻求有关不同事物的信息，并可能在公共场合获得对其事业的支持。

• 倡导组织也使用社交媒体来告知和支持其成员，代表其成员和社会发言。

• 本文研究了不同的残疾倡导组织如何反思他们在工作中使用社交媒体的方式——他们如何使用、为什么使用以及为谁使用。

• 这项研究表明，考虑到不同目标群体的利益——例如不同年龄和经济状况的残疾人、他们的家庭和更广泛的社会——的利益是多么困难，并且仍然要解决和包括每个人。

• 特别是年轻人，还有其他人，可能不需要宣传组织，他们有社交媒体。