This research project investigated the quality of political discourses online, and seeked to identify how citizens' input concerning political issues on a European level are reflected in current EU policy.
Basically, there are great hopes that new media will enhance civic participation and counteract worrisome developments in political life such as declining voter turnouts. European governments and EU institutions have started to use new information and communication technologies to revive the political sphere, which is supposed to be mainly characterised by deliberative discussions on issues of a common concern. In order to re-connect citizens to the political stage, the EU has set up an initiative called "Your voice in Europe" which provides a space for online debates and consultations linked to profound questions on the future of Europe. Against the background of this EU initiative the project pursued four major goals:
The Austrian Ministry for Education, Science and Culture funds the project within the NODE programme (New orientations for democracy in Europe). The project will be conducted in co-operation with the Centre for Social Innovation (ZSI), Vienna.
This paper questions the potential of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) to enhance political participation and democratic involvement. The presented case study examines the functionality of the electronic talkboard provided by the British daily newspaper The Guardian in the context of the British Parliamentarian Elections 2001. Theoretical concepts of civic deliberation (such as developed by Juergen Habermas, John S. Dryzeck etc.) provided the background for a content analysis of the postings of the Guardian talkboard. The empirical study revealed the emergence of micro public spheres as incubators for rational-critical debates on political issues. The findings further suggest that the Internet is not a place for mass deliberation in the political area but a platform for small or highly focused communities to exchange political views, share information and learn from each other. Considering the relevance of socio-economic and cultural frameworks within which new media operate, the author stresses the importance of the prevailing political culture, which finally enables and determines deliberative communication among citizens in the offline- and online world.
07/2003 - 05/2005