Abstract
This chapter explains the emerging characteristics of citizen-initiated political campaigning for the 2014 Taipei mayoral election, as well as the 2016 presidential and legislative elections, and aims to answer two questions. First, if citizen-initiated campaigning can be identified, then what is the mechanism of mobilization? In light of the logic of connective action, this study explains how personal frame action has transformed into collective force in the process of citizen-initiated campaigning and how communication technology has transformed into networked organizations. The aforementioned characteristics, featuring recent digital mobilized social movements, have been demonstrated in election engineering in Taiwan. Second, it analyzes how Taiwanese political parties responded to rising citizen engagement in campaigns and adapt and adopt tools and strategies emerged from social movements in the election engineering.
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Notes
- 1.
http://g0v.today/congressoccupied/project (Date of Access: January 2, 2017).
- 2.
Apple Daily, March 20, 2014. “The occupying students made and uploaded the video. Netizens: they are not violent mob, but heroes.”http://www.appledaily.com.tw/realtimenews/article/politics/20140320/363968/ (Date of Access: January 2, 2017).
- 3.
The gøv website (http://g0v.tw/zh-TW/) platform was originally a crowdsourcing site. When it was founded, it emphasized its members came from across Taiwan. There guiding principles were freedom of speech and information transparency, as well as the pursuit of independent and transparent information concerning government. They also emphasized a goal of bringing about change and an unwillingness to resort to cynicism or apathy. Furthermore, this organization was decentralized in nature; it sought free participation and discussion in decision-making.
- 4.
http://g0v.today/congressoccupied/project (Date of Access: January 2, 2017).
- 5.
Epoch Times, November 22, 2004. “Campaign Activities in pre-campaign period. Central Election Commission: No violation to Civil Servant Election and Recall.” http://www.epochtimes.com/b5/4/11/22/n725283.htm.
- 6.
Taiwan Network Information Center, http://www.twnic.net.tw/ibnews.php (Date of Access: January 2, 2017).
- 7.
Taipei times, February 28, 2014. “Taiwan likes Facebook, has highest penetration”. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2014/02/28/2003584495 (Date of Access: January 2, 2017).
- 8.
Liberal Times, September 12, 2014. “Keep Playing and Playing” Lianshenwen’s Video Advertisement was Spoofed by Netizens.” http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/1104199. (Accessed at January 2, 2017). EToday News, September 20, 2014. “Ten Days after the Advertisement “Keep Playing and Playing.” Lianshengwen’s Support among Youth Plunged to 22 Percent). http://www.ettoday.net/news/20140920/403641.htm#ixzz4R02iUork. (Date of Access: January 2, 2017).
- 9.
I conducted an in-depth interview with Chou Te-wang who was the Chief Executive of Ko Wen-je’s campaign office. The interview was done at National Sun Yat-sen University in Kaohsiung city on December 20, 2014.
- 10.
Liberal Times, October 25, 2014. “Lianshu tiewen pin renqi kewenzhe bei laopo dapa.” (Competing Popularity of Facebook Fan Pages. Ko Wen-je was Defeated by His Wife). http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/politics/breakingnews/1140737. (Date of Access: January 2, 2017).
- 11.
Central Election Commission, http://db.cec.gov.tw/histMain.jsp?voteSel=20160101A1. (Date of Access: Jan. 2, 2017).
- 12.
In Taiwan, the KMT, which tends to advocate for a Chinese identity and adopt more pro-China and proactive Cross-Strait policies, is coined the “Blue Camp,” while the DPP which stresses Taiwan’s independence from Mainland China and maintains a cautious attitude toward Cross-Strait relations, is referred to as the “Green Camp.” Any other pro-China political parties are also ascribed to the “Blue Camp,” while pro-Taiwan’s independence to the “Green Camp.”
- 13.
Nownews, September 27, 2010. “DPP Chief of the Internet Sector, Lin Ge-yong: Ebb and Flow in Cyberspace: The decline of the Blue Camp and the Growing of the Green Camp.” http://www.nownews.com/n/2010/09/27/643835. (Date of Access: Jan. 2, 2017).
- 14.
Interview with Edgar Chan who was Deputy Director of Center for Media Innovation at the DPP headquarter in Taipei on February 16, 2016.
- 15.
Interview with Hsu Chiao-hsin who was Director of Youth Department of the KMT as well as the spokesperson of KMT’s presidential candidate Eric Chu. The interview was conducted in Taipei on February 17, 2016.
- 16.
Interview with Edgar Chan on February 16, 2016.
- 17.
The number of donation derived from the annual reports of political donation balance released by the DPP, which are open to the public in Taiwan’s Control Yuan.
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Chen, B. (2018). When Elections Become Social Movements: Emerging “Citizen-Initiated” Campaigning in Taiwan. In: Kiyohara, S., Maeshima, K., Owen, D. (eds) Internet Election Campaigns in the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Political Campaigning and Communication. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63682-5_7
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