Overview

When towing the party line meant lying to the American people, brave government employees took to social media to share the inside scoop. Experiencing firsthand President Donald Trump’s disregard for truth, rogue government employees took to social media as an outlet for anonymized outrage, fact-checking, and a call to action. The #ALTGOV Twitter movement subverted official statements to remind the American public that all was not well in the White House but that there was something they could do about it. This is the story of how the same social media technologies that fractured America have helped rogue government workers and concerned citizens work to keep it together. Government employees who were first disappointed in the 2016 election outcome and then horrified by things like a ban on Muslim immigrants, the repeal of Net Neutrality, the deletion of climate change information from EPA websites found themselves searching for a way to take a stand. Beginning with tweets from the parks about the Inauguration Day crowd, the #AltGov Twitter accounts offered followers context, truth, and opportunities to take real-world action to support human rights, privacy rights, and science. Followers say they offer hope. They’ve also faced challenges from their bosses in the government, from trolls and bots, and from each other. Amanda Sturgill offers the first real look behind the curtain as AltGov members struggled to work effectively with others across a spectrum of goals and motivations, while facing their own fears of being discovered or even inadvertently causing the harm they are trying to forestall. The AltGov movement shows us that social media is more than a megaphone—it’s a way for everyday people to live out democratic ideals and make a difference.

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9781538162095

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Reviews

Sturgill capably weaves together interviews with a number of federal bureaucrats who participated in the #ALTGOV movement and current events to create a gripping narrative. The work fleshes out anonymous Twitter accounts into full personas with individual reasons for joining the movement. Using the bureaucrats' own words, Sturgill dismisses the claim that the #ALTGOV movement consisted only of political opponents of the Trump administration. Undergraduates will digest this book easily and gain an appreciation for this unique time in American politics, and scholars will find Sturgill's research foundational for further studies of protest activities by government officials, both in the US and abroad. This book is relevant to the disciplines of political science, political communication, mass communication, and public administration and fits well into courses on American politics, bureaucracy, and political movements. Recommended. All readership levels.-- Choice Reviews Always wanted to know who's behind the #AltGov Twitter movement? This is your chance to see four years of American history unfold through their eyes. Learn how #AltGov's digital army tried to make a difference and fought to defend democracy in the way they knew best: tweet by tweet.--Alice Stollmeyer, executive director, Defend Democracy This fascinating work delves into the activities of the alts and the rogues that made up so much of the online political world in the early days of the Trump administration. It offers fresh insights into the confusion and chaos of 2016 through 2021 using primary sources in a compelling way I have never seen before.--Brooke Binkowski, journalist and debunker, Truth or Fiction

Always wanted to know who's behind the #AltGov Twitter movement? This is your chance to see four years of American history unfold through their eyes. Learn how #AltGov's digital army tried to make a difference and fought to defend democracy in the way they knew best: tweet by tweet.--Alice Stollmeyer, executive director, Defend Democracy This fascinating work delves into the activities of the alts and the rogues that made up so much of the online political world in the early days of the Trump administration. It offers fresh insights into the confusion and chaos of 2016 through 2021 using primary sources in a compelling way I have never seen before.--Brooke Binkowski, journalist and debunker, Truth or Fiction

Author Information

Amanda Sturgill is a professor at Elon University, where she teaches courses in journalism, media analytics, and digital strategy. She has built a 20-plus year career studying the ways people communicate online, including how breaking news is covered on Twitter, how people learn from digital media, how media work and don’t work for poor people and those with disabilities, and how people form online communities around their interests. Her research and teaching have been featured on CBC Radio, KABC Radio, and in The Washington Post.

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