James dennis
Researcher in political communication and journalism studies
About
Dr James Dennis is a Researcher at the Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies (CICANT), Universidade Lusófona (Portugal), Co-Editor of Political Studies Review (UK), and Co-Convenor of the Political Studies Association Media and Politics Group (UK). Previously, James served as a Senior Lecturer in Political Communication and Journalism at the University of Portsmouth for nine years. His research interests lie in political communication and journalism, with a focus on social media, political participation and citizenship, and how young people experience news.
James' work has been published in the Journal of Information Technology and Politics, Journalism Studies, and Political Studies. His first monograph, Beyond Slacktivism: Political Participation on Social Media, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2018. This builds on his PhD research, which was awarded the American Political Science Association Information Technology and Politics Section Best Dissertation Award. He is currently working on his second book, examining how social inequality shapes the way young adults in England experience political communication.
James regularly collaborates with industry partners, carrying out social media research with the BBC World Service and the British Council. He is a frequent commentator for local, national, and international media, including the BBC, the Guardian, the Financial Times, Forbes, the New York Times, and Newsweek.
Supervision: James welcomes proposals from prospective PhD candidates interested in political communication, digital journalism and the changing news media environment, and social media and political participation.
What I'm up to
Recent publications"An election about us but not for us": The lack of communication for young people during GE2024 | UK Election Analysis 2024 | 2024
Access | DownloadHow News Found the Avoiders: The Changing News Routines of Infodemically Vulnerable Young People in England During Covid-19 | Journalism Studies | 2024 Access | Download
Conferences, workshops, and eventsI'll be presenting my work at the following events. Please get in touch if you are interested in meeting with me at any of the following conferences to discuss publishing in Political Studies Review:March 30-April 1, 2026 | Political Studies Association Annual Conference, Oxford
I am also the Section Co-Convenor for the Media and Politics Group. Please get in touch if you would like to attend our social at the conference :)
Media contributionsI welcome invitations to contribute to coverage regarding social media and politics, the impact of digital media on society, and the dynamics of online activism. Please get in touch via email.Recent notable contributions include:The Big Issue | The TikTokification of politics: Will it engage young people or does it miss the point entirely?Forbes | How Meta Nuked A Climate Story, And What It Means For DemocracyThe Guardian | The big idea: should we keep politics out of social media?
What I'm obsessed with right nowI am currently listening to Waltz for Debby (Bill Evans Trio) and playing Metroid: Samus Returns (3DS) & Pokémon Heart and Soul (GBA)
Political Studies Review
Alongside Dr David Norman, Dr Nora Siklodi, and Dr Dafydd Townley (University of Portsmouth), I am a Co-Editor of Political Studies Review, a flagship journal for the Political Studies Association (PSA). The PSA is the leading association for the study of politics in the UK. In this role, I coordinate special issues and short-form symposia, and I act as a liaison to the PSA’s specialist groups.Our vision for the future of the journal—expanding our community internationally and amplifying the research undertaken by the organisation's specialist group—is detailed in our recent Editor's Note.
Journal Links: Website | BlueSky | LinkedInSubmit a Proposal: Special Issues | Short-form SymposiaInformation for Guest Editors: Special Issues | Short-form SymposiaCurrent Calls for Papers for Special Issues
Selected publications
Monographs
Beyond Slacktivism: Political Participation on Social Media (2018)
Access book via publisher websiteBeyond Slacktivism examines how routine social media use shapes political participation. Many commentators have argued that activism has been compromised by “slacktivism,” a pejorative term that refers to supposedly inauthentic, low-threshold forms of engagement online. Dennis argues that this critique has an overly narrow focus. He offers a novel theoretical framework—the continuum of participation—to help illuminate how and why citizens use social networking sites to consume news, discuss civic matters, and engage in politics. This idea is explored in two interrelated settings. Firstly, in an activist context, through an ethnography of the campaigning organisation 38 Degrees. Secondly, within day-to-day life, by combining evidence of behaviour online with reflective diaries. Drawing on this rich data on individual-level attitudes and behaviours, Dennis challenges slacktivism as a judgement on contemporary political action. Beyond Slacktivism provides an account of how the seemingly mundane everyday use of social media can be beneficial to democracy.Published in the Interest Groups, Advocacy and Democracy Series by Palgrave Macmillan
Selected journal articles
How News Found the Avoiders: The Changing News Routines of Infodemically Vulnerable Young People in England During Covid-19 | Journalism Studies | 2024
Access | Download‘Tell the Story as You'd Tell it to Your Friends in a Pub’: Emotional Storytelling in Election Reporting by BuzzFeed News and Vice News (with Dr Susana Sampaio-Dias) | Journalism Studies | 2021
Access | DownloadA party within a party posing as a movement? Momentum as a movement faction | Journal of Information Technology and Politics | 2020
Access | DownloadSocial Media, Professional Media, and Mobilization in Contemporary Britain: Explaining the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Citizens’ Movement, 38 Degrees (with Professor Andrew Chadwick) | Political Studies | 2017
Access | Download
Edited Collections
Innovation and Adaptation in Advocacy Organizations Throughout the Digital Eras (2020)
Access Special Issue via the Journal of Information Technology and PoliticsThis special issue explores how digitally-native advocacy organizations evolve and whether they influence the organizational norms of other NGOs and advocacy groups. The volume offers three contributions to the literature on digital advocacy groups. Firstly, we argue that different periods of ‘internet time’ influence the tactics, strategies, and structural form of political organizations. Secondly, we examine different ways that organizations empower members and/or the broader public to make decisions using digital technology. Thirdly, we trace the diffusion of digital engagement practices, as well as how legacy advocacy groups have adapted these practices. Finally, we provide an agenda for future research. Specifically, research is needed on changes in digital organizing in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and center-right and far-right advocacy organizations. Further work is also necessary to identify the conditions that lead to innovation in digital advocacy.Published in the the Journal of Information Technology and Politics
For a full list of my publications, please visit Google Scholar, CiênciaVitae, and my personal profile at Universidade Lusófona