Journal
INFORMATION COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY
Volume 20, Issue 6, Pages 876-897Publisher
ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2017.1293129
Keywords
Participation; digital divide; focus groups; participatory culture; social media
Categories
Funding
- 'DIVSI - Deutsches Institut fur Vertrauen und Sicherheit im Internet' under a Project Grant for online participation ('Beteiligung im Internet')
- Norges Forskningsrad [247725]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Studies on the 'second-level digital divide' explore the socioeconomic antecedents and effects of (a lack of) user participation on the Internet. At the same time, some have criticized a normatively affirmative bias in online participation research as well as a one-sided focus on observable user activity. This contribution addresses the ensuing call for a more nuanced understanding of online participation in general, and online political participation in particular. We differentiate the online participation concept based on a focus group study among 96 Internet users from a broad range of social backgrounds in Germany. We derive a framework of eight types of online (non) participation along three conceptual axes: activity, agency, and social valence. Taking user experiences and terminology into account, we differentiate participation from non-participation, active from passive and positive from negative (non-)participation. The proposed typology allows for a more balanced evaluation and more focused exploration of phenomena such as destructive or involuntary online participation as well as online abstention, boycotts, self-censorship, lurking, or digital exclusion.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available