Two modes of participation: A conceptual analysis of 102 cases of Internet and social media participation from 2005-2015

摘要

In this article we analyze 102 case studies of Internet or social media-enabled participatory projects, technologies, platforms and companies in operation between roughly 2005-2015. We assign each case a signature representing the degree of presence/absence of seven dimensions of participation and then cluster these signatures to look for patterns of the most common ways of doing participation today. Two main clusters become apparent: 1) a radical-direct mode that emphasizes direct individual autonomy and influence, commitment to having a voice and setting goals, and individual or collective control over resources thereby produced; and 2) an experiential-affective mode that emphasizes the experience of being or becoming part of a collective, and the affective, communicational, and educational features of that experience.