Participation in the Internet Era

Abstract

The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression has stressed that he believes the Internet to be one of the most powerful instruments of the 21st century for ‘increasing transparency in the conduct of the powerful, access to information, and for facilitating active citizen participation in building democratic societies’ (La Rue, 2011, p. 4). As an example, the rapporteur highlighted the Arab Spring of 2011, which illustrated the role of the Internet in mobilizing populations in their call for better respect for human rights.¹ This chapter presents four different perspectives on digital media as means of public participation, provides empirical examples across different arenas, and discusses the structures / actors that can restrict digital media as means of public participation. I argue that there is positive potential related to the public’s increased ability to communicate and participate in public life, but also new challenges related to participation in the digital domain. One challenge is linked to the role and powers of the private actors that control the digital media. The communication infrastructure and online platforms where social life unfolds critically differ from the physical sphere. There is also a distinction between access to participate in policy processes, and access to the means to influence a particular outcome.