Republic.com
Democracy in the Digital Age: Challenges to Political Life in Cyberspace
Democracy in the Digital Age: Challenges to Political Life in Cyberspace
Web of Politics: The Internet's Impact on the American Political System
Web of Politics: The Internet's Impact on the American Political System
The Weblog Handbook: Practical Advice on Creating and Maintaining Your Blog
The Weblog Handbook: Practical Advice on Creating and Maintaining Your Blog
Blogosphere: The New Political Arena
Blogosphere: The New Political Arena
Social Science Computer Review
Election Forecasts With Twitter: How 140 Characters Reflect the Political Landscape
Social Science Computer Review
International Journal of Interactive Communication Systems and Technologies
| Hi-index | 0.00 |
Several theorists have entertained the possibility that the egalitarian nature of Internet-based discussion may facilitate meaningful democratic deliberative discussions amongst citizens. This article provides a preliminary empirical test of these claims by examining the extent to which blogs and blogroll communities act as forums for such deliberations. The analysis uses a dataset derived from a content analysis performed on blogs from three Canadian partisan blogrolls in October 2005. We perform three tests of the deliberative qualities of blog-based discussions: (a) whether discussion is characterized by equality of participation; (b) whether bloggers discuss substantive issues; and (c) whether bloggers engage constructively in discussions with political opponents. We find that this online discussion does exhibit some deliberative characteristics but that this discussion is often characterized by inequality of discussion, a focus on non-substantive issues, and unconstructive engagement between bloggers.