Participation in a New Media Landscape - a Literature Review of Participation Tools

Abstract

In this paper, we present our preliminary findings from a literature analysis of eParticipation tools. The background for the study is the expectation from many national governments that local politicians should have an ongoing digital dialogue with citizens. Media technologies and communication tools frame, structure and shape debates based on their affordances, underlying sociocultural as well as sociotechnical context. The purpose of this work in progress is to present our initial findings from a literature study of eParticipation tools. The literature study will form the foundation for future work, which includes a further examination of the potential political/deliberative consequences of different technologies. The study is set in a Norwegian context.