Technology
—Social Media Meets Political Association—
Direct participation — Self-Expression.
By Devin Doyle (March 3, 2025)
At first glance, a political party on social media doesn't sound so groundbreaking. After all, everyone's already on social media, and it has been used for political ends for well over a decade, starting most notably in Obama's 2008 presidential campaign. So what is so special about a private social network forming the foundation of Cascade Party in 2025? And what does it say about what Washington state politics can be?
First, the facts. Cascade Party operates a self-managed, members-only social media platform, open to all citizens of Washington who identify with our positions. Of the various social media platforms, our infrastructure is most akin to Facebook: you have a profile with your picture, public forums to discuss the platform, the ability to send private messages, and an interface that is simple and intuitive. We do not sell to advertisers, freeing us from outside influence.
So what makes it special? I can offer trite answers like "the world is going digital and so should we," or "since it's self-managed, our data is not for profit" and certainly there’s merit to those points. But the far more compelling reason pertains not to the platform itself, but to the civic paradigm it enables: a form of direct digital democracy that feels distinctly Washingtonian. There are three parts to this:
1. Enables direct participation.
We are a digitally native party, which means we did not just replicate existing political party power structures and plop it online. From the second someone joins the platform, they are a member: they can lead a conversation, solicit votes, submit a resolution, etc. This is direct, democratic participation at its best and resonates with our state's rich history of recalls, initiatives, and protest. By contrast, if you visit the Washington State Democrat and Republican Facebook pages, you'll notice that only the party apparatchiks control the narrative, relegating the rank and file to bicker in the comment sections. While you might argue this difference is a function of scale, I would say that any party's leaders should ensure that democratic principles manifest in every form of its association.2. Built around a network. Given the networked infrastructure of the platform, members can interact with one another and influence policy in new ways. University of Munich political scientist, Yannis Thechonis, notes that this new form of political participation doesn't just shift traditional forms of political participation (e.g., petitioning or protesting) to the digital realm, but creates entirely new and expansive ways to participate, such as publicly following a candidate or sharing or commenting on a post. Furthermore, when every member is equally public and accessible on the social media platform, the cream rises to the top when trying to identify expertise within the ranks, develop political capital, and mobilize around candidates -- all vital functions for a party.
3. Allows for self-expression. The accusation these days is that everyone is their own brand, armed with a selfie-stick and ring light. But can this self-obsession be an asset to a political party, especially for younger generations? Can the distinct characters of ourselves that we express online incorporate a kind of politics that can be amplified? Can the same part of us that wants followers also create coalitions? There's more than meets the eye here. On our social media platform, people can freely engage in self-expressive participation and collaboration (e.g., follow each other, add pictures and videos, etc.). While of course the focus should ultimately be on the issues in our state, creative self-expression can be harnessed to amplify rather than detract from these issues.
Our state has a long history of direct civic engagement as an early adopter of initiative and referendum. Cascade Party stands out in that our independent political positions go hand in hand with our independent way of associating and participating online – truly independent platforms in both senses of the word.
Devin Doyle is a business consultant. He serves on the Cascade Party board of directors.
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CASCADE PARTY of WASHINGTON
PO Box 28004
Seattle, WA 98118