The Digital Commons and the Digital Public Sphere: How to Advance Digital Democracy Today

Emerging media technologies are increasingly reconfiguring the public sphere by creating new spaces for political dialogue. E-democracy (digital democracy) and e-government can be usefully served by these emerging technologies; however, their existence does not automatically equate to increased political participation. There is still a need to develop specific and theoretically-oriented approaches to a newly reconfigured public sphere. Employing a structurational perspective, this essay addresses the relationship between political participation, emerging media, new media networking, and e-democracy. While new media networking increases the potential for political participation, depending on various factors such as access, usage and skills, the potential exists for increasing disempowerment as well. The chapter concludes with recommendations for the use of new media networking in ways that enhance e-democracy.

Download Full-text

Networking democracy? Social media innovations in participatory politics

10.31219/osf.io/nqjh4 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Dan Mercea

Keyword(s):

Social Media ◽

Public Sphere ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Information Communication ◽

Special Issue ◽

Cautious Approach ◽

Digital Democracy ◽

Participatory Politics ◽

Collaborative Networking ◽

Communicative Power

Early conceptions of digital democracy as a virtual public sphere or civic commons have been replaced by a new technological optimism for democratic renewal based upon the open and collaborative networking characteristics of social media. This article provides an introduction to a special issue of the international journal Information, Communication & Society, which attempts to present a grounded analysis of these claims drawing upon evidence-based research and analysis. A more cautious approach is suggested for the potential of social media to facilitate more participative democracy while acknowledging its disruptive value for challenging traditional interests and modes of communicative power.

Download Full-text

Issues of Digital Disempowerment and New Media Networking (NMN) in Relation to E-Government

Digital Democracy ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-1740-7.ch081 ◽

2012 ◽

pp. 1631-1654

Author(s):

Kenneth L. Hacker ◽

Eric L. Morgan

Keyword(s):

New Media ◽

Political Participation ◽

Public Sphere ◽

Political Dialogue ◽

The Public ◽

Media Technologies ◽

Digital Democracy ◽

Emerging Media ◽

The Public Sphere ◽

The Relationship

Emerging media technologies are increasingly reconfiguring the public sphere by creating new spaces for political dialogue. E-democracy (digital democracy) and e-government can be usefully served by these emerging technologies; however, their existence does not automatically equate to increased political participation. There is still a need to develop specific and theoretically-oriented approaches to a newly reconfigured public sphere. Employing a structurational perspective, this essay addresses the relationship between political participation, emerging media, new media networking, and e-democracy. While new media networking increases the potential for political participation, depending on various factors such as access, usage and skills, the potential exists for increasing disempowerment as well. The chapter concludes with recommendations for the use of new media networking in ways that enhance e-democracy.

Download Full-text

Mediated political participation and competing discourses of online civic engagement

Journal of Development and Communication Studies ◽

10.4314/jdcs.v6i1.3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 36-47

Author(s):

Philip Oburu Onguny

Keyword(s):

Civic Engagement ◽

Political Participation ◽

Public Sphere ◽

Digital Divide ◽

Information And Communication Technologies ◽

Communication Technologies ◽

Civic Responsibility ◽

Use Patterns ◽

Digital Democracy ◽

Information And Communication

This article focuses on the interconnections between mediated political participation and online citizen engagement. The objective is threefold. First, it examines whether the notion of digital democracy captures the dynamic and “renewed” sense of civic responsibility brought to bear by disruptive information and communication technologies (ICTs). Second, it asks the question of whether the creation, negotiation, dissemination, and consumption of online political content really rivals those circulated by the traditional or legacy media. Finally, the article discusses the potential pitfalls of confining technological use patterns to pessimist-optimist dichotomy, arguing that such characterization ignores innovative or adapted use patterns that emerge based on varying social, political, and economic realities. Overall, the discussions presented in this article are meant to generate conceptual discussions around the links between mediated political participation and online civic engagement, and how they inform democratization processes and redistribution of political influence.Keywords: Mediated politics, mediated political participation, digital democracy, mediated public sphere, ICTs, digital divide, online civic engagement, civic responsibility

Download Full-text

The Public Service Media and Public Service Internet Manifesto

10.16997/book60 ◽

2021 ◽

Keyword(s):

Public Sphere ◽

Public Service ◽

Hate Speech ◽

Internet Survey ◽

Fake News ◽

Conspiracy Theories ◽

The Public ◽

Digital Democracy ◽

The Media ◽

The Public Sphere

This book presents the collectively authored Public Service Media and Public Service Internet Manifesto and accompanying materials.The Internet and the media landscape are broken. The dominant commercial Internet platforms endanger democracy. They have created a communications landscape overwhelmed by surveillance, advertising, fake news, hate speech, conspiracy theories, and algorithmic politics. Commercial Internet platforms have harmed citizens, users, everyday life, and society. Democracy and digital democracy require Public Service Media. A democracy-enhancing Internet requires Public Service Media becoming Public Service Internet platforms – an Internet of the public, by the public, and for the public; an Internet that advances instead of threatens democracy and the public sphere. The Public Service Internet is based on Internet platforms operated by a variety of Public Service Media, taking the public service remit into the digital age. The Public Service Internet provides opportunities for public debate, participation, and the advancement of social cohesion. Accompanying the Manifesto are materials that informed its creation: Christian Fuchs’ report of the results of the Public Service Media/Internet Survey, the written version of Graham Murdock’s online talk on public service media today, and a summary of an ecomitee.com discussion of the Manifesto’s foundations. The Manifesto can be signed by visiting http://bit.ly/signPSManifesto

Download Full-text