Is Internet Participation the Future

1
Is Internet Participation the Future?

• Rachel K. Gibson, Stephen Ward and Wainer Lusoli
• ESRC Democracy and Participation Programme Key
  Findings Conference, 24th September 2003

2
Visions of e-Democracy

• Utopians
• Direct democrats
• Communitarian participation
• Hacktivism

• Dystopians
• Push button democracy
• Fragmentation of public interest
• Rise of surveillance state

3
Extent and nature of political activity online in
the UK, May 2002Source NOP Organisations Poll 9
14 May 2002 (n 252)

• Overall 17 of Internet users had engaged in some
  form of online
• political activity
• This included
• Looked for political information 8
• Visited the site of a political organisation 5
• Signed an online petition 4
• Send an email to an elected politician 4
• Sent an e-postcard/news article to a
  friend/colleague 4
• Sent an email to a public servant 3
• Signed up for an e-news bulletin 3
• Discussed politics in a chat group 2
• Joined an organisation online 1

4
Profile of online participators Source NOP
Organisations Poll 9 14 May 2002 (n 252)
5
Profile of offline participators Source NOP
Organisations Poll 9 14 May 2002 (n 252)
6
If you dont build it do they come anyway?

• Would those visiting a political organisations
  website
• have made contact via other means (i.e.telephone,
• writing)?
• NO 63
• YES 35

7
Political Organisations Online Website Content

• Websites shifted from technical to political
  tools
• Information provision main function - content
  heavy
• Online recruitment and interactivity still
  minimal
• Communication mainly one-way top-down

8
Activists Members Online

• Evidence of widening to younger audience
• Intensification of activism online -the 24/7
  activist
• Favours individualised and information gathering
  forms of participation
• Different technologies for different functions?

9
Conclusions

• A modest positive contribution to participation
• Widens participation amongst younger generations
  (novelty factor?)
• Deepens participation amongst the already active
• Widens rather than levels the political field
• Difficult Democracy?