Political Participation Online: The User’s Perspective

Abstract

Besides its potential to expand political communication beyond classical mass media, the internet offers new ways of political participation: Citizens can be involved in democratic decision making via online platforms such as public deliberation forums or social media. Considering the wide range of new possibilities to participate, it is essential to understand why and how citizens make use of them. Thus, this panel will focus on the user’s perspective on political participation online and discuss the following questions: Who is and who is not using new forms of online participation and why? Does online participation mobilize social groups that do not participate offline? What are the citizens’ attitudes to and their experience with political online participation? Which instruments can be used to measure online participation?

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