DavidKarpf

David Karpf

Associate Professor of Media and Public Affairs, Director of Graduate Studies, George Washington University

About David

Karpf's research focuses on internet politics, political communication, political blogs, online organizing, and qualitative methods.

Contributions

In the News

David Karpf quoted on the unreliabilities of online ads by Barbara Ortutay and Amanda Seitz, "Online ads still Vulnerable to Manipulation in US Election" Greenfield Recorder, January 31, 2020.
David Karpf's research on political fundraising discussed by Greta Kaul, "What the Hell is ActBlue? And Why is It Showing Up On So Many Democratic Candidates' Campaign Finance Reports?," Minneapolis Post, August 17, 2018.
"The Ever Changing Role of Digital Media in Our Political System," David Karpf, Interview with Ben Kieffer, Iowa Public Radio, August 3, 2018.
David Karpf quoted by Evan Halper, "Was Cambridge Analytica a Digital Svengali or Snake-Oil Salesman?" Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2018.
David Karpf quoted by Peter Overby, "Trump Powers Small Dollar Donor Surge for Democratic Fundraising Site" NPR, February 27, 2018.
David Karpf quoted by Alvin Chang, "MSNBC and CNN Took the NRA’s Bait on Arming Teachers" Vox, February 26, 2018.
David Karpf quoted by Alexis Sobel Fitts, "Don't Blame Social Media for Celebrity Politicians. Blame Everyone" Wired, January 16, 2018.
David Karpf quoted by Steven Nelson, "Trump Team Ignores White House Petitions after Talk of Pulling the Plug" Washington Examiner, October 27, 2017.
David Karpf quoted by Jack Shafer, "Week 21: Hunting Trump like He's Pokemon" Politico Magazine, October 14, 2017.
David Karpf quoted by Joseph P. Williams, "Beyond the Boogeyman" U.S. News and World Report, June 26, 2015.
David Karpf quoted on the effect of Facebook ads on fundraising by Derek Willis, "Facebook Says Experiments Prove Ads on Its Site Can Spur Donations" New York Times, December 22, 2014.
"The Reason Why Your Inbox is Flooded with Political E-mail," David Karpf, Monkey Cage, The Washington Post, December 2, 2014.
David Karpf quoted on changes in political advertising by Nancy Marshall-Genzer, "Cable Eclipsing Broadcast for Political Advertising" Marketplace, October 17, 2014.
David Karpf quoted on ActBlue and online fundraising by Derek Willis, "How ActBlue Became a Powerful Force in Fund-Raising" New York Times, October 9, 2014.
David Karpf's research on online voter registration discussed by Nikki Schwab, "Online Voter Registration Still Not Happening in Most States," US News and World Report, September 24, 2014.
David Karpf quoted on the FCC and Net Neutrality by Nancy Scola, "Inside the Collapse of the FCC’s Digital Infrastructure — And the Rush to Save It" The Washington Post, September 24, 2014.
"Netroots Goes Global," David Karpf, The Nation, November 4, 2013.
"UVA Board’s Lazy Business Sense," David Karpf, Huffington Post, June 20, 2012.
"Change.org and the Dilemmas of Success," David Karpf, TechPresident.com, June 19, 2012.
"Wisconsin and the Limits of Web Power," David Karpf, The Guardian Online, February 25, 2011.

Publications

"The MoveOn Effect: The Unexpected Transformation of American Political Advocacy" (Oxford University Press, 2012).
Describes the new wave of “netroots” political organizations and highlights how they differ from their more longstanding interest group peers. Recipient of the 2013 “Best Book Award” from the American Political Science Association Information Technology & Politics Section.
"Social Science Research Methods in Internet Time" Information, Communication, & Society 15, no. 5 (2012): 639-661.
Discusses the new challenges that scholars face in the Internet age. Proposes that we promote the values of “transparency” and “kludginess” in order to meet the new challenges and produce timely and accessible research.
"Online Political Mobilization from the Advocacy Group’s Perspective: Looking Beyond Clicktivism" Policy & Internet 2, no. 4 (2010): 7-41.
Argues that debates over “clicktivism” are fundamentally pursuing the wrong question. Simple acts of participation, online or offline, occur within a broader campaign context. This article discusses how the broader campaign context alters the value of digital participation.