Traditional actors such as trade unions are inevitably challenged by digital technologies, not only from the perspective of labor relations, but also in relation to outreach and communications strategies. In fact, as online and offline realities become increasingly intertwined, the presence of organized labor institutions within the Internet’s current networked environment is unavoidable. This article debates digital trade unionism as a strategy for trade union renewal, particularly the implications of using social media platforms to connect and interact with a broader audience beyond the labor movement. Through a comprehensive comparative analysis of the Facebook pages of six trade union confederations from Brazil, Canada, Portugal, and the UK, we find that despite the possibilities for horizontal dialogue enabled by the new digital communication and information technologies, trade union confederations maintain an outdated ‘one-way’ model of communication, hindering opportunities to reach and engage with both union and non-union actors.
%0 Journal Article
%1 carneiro2020digital
%A Carneiro, Bia
%A Costa, Hermes Augusto
%D 2020
%I SAGE Publications
%J Journal of Industrial Relations
%K Facebook digital_trade_unionism social_media trade_union_renewal trade_unions
%P 002218562097933
%R 10.1177/0022185620979337
%T Digital unionism as a renewal strategy? Social media use by trade union confederations
%U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022185620979337
%X Traditional actors such as trade unions are inevitably challenged by digital technologies, not only from the perspective of labor relations, but also in relation to outreach and communications strategies. In fact, as online and offline realities become increasingly intertwined, the presence of organized labor institutions within the Internet’s current networked environment is unavoidable. This article debates digital trade unionism as a strategy for trade union renewal, particularly the implications of using social media platforms to connect and interact with a broader audience beyond the labor movement. Through a comprehensive comparative analysis of the Facebook pages of six trade union confederations from Brazil, Canada, Portugal, and the UK, we find that despite the possibilities for horizontal dialogue enabled by the new digital communication and information technologies, trade union confederations maintain an outdated ‘one-way’ model of communication, hindering opportunities to reach and engage with both union and non-union actors.
@article{carneiro2020digital,
abstract = {Traditional actors such as trade unions are inevitably challenged by digital technologies, not only from the perspective of labor relations, but also in relation to outreach and communications strategies. In fact, as online and offline realities become increasingly intertwined, the presence of organized labor institutions within the Internet’s current networked environment is unavoidable. This article debates digital trade unionism as a strategy for trade union renewal, particularly the implications of using social media platforms to connect and interact with a broader audience beyond the labor movement. Through a comprehensive comparative analysis of the Facebook pages of six trade union confederations from Brazil, Canada, Portugal, and the UK, we find that despite the possibilities for horizontal dialogue enabled by the new digital communication and information technologies, trade union confederations maintain an outdated ‘one-way’ model of communication, hindering opportunities to reach and engage with both union and non-union actors.},
added-at = {2020-12-25T10:22:49.000+0100},
author = {Carneiro, Bia and Costa, Hermes Augusto},
biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2462a604c2ddc48029a39c31ddc19880d/meneteqel},
doi = {10.1177/0022185620979337},
interhash = {d247e558afaba185c28aa590acac3582},
intrahash = {462a604c2ddc48029a39c31ddc19880d},
journal = {Journal of Industrial Relations},
keywords = {Facebook digital_trade_unionism social_media trade_union_renewal trade_unions},
language = {eng},
month = dec,
pages = 002218562097933,
publisher = {{SAGE} Publications},
timestamp = {2020-12-25T10:22:49.000+0100},
title = {Digital unionism as a renewal strategy? Social media use by trade union confederations},
url = {https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0022185620979337},
year = 2020
}