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Information
Special Issues
Digital Citizenship and Participation
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Digital Citizenship and Participation

A special issue of Information (ISSN 2078-2489). This special issue belongs to the section "Information Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2016) | Viewed by 69173

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Muneo Kaigo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
Interests: library and information science; humanistic social informatics; social psychology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Social and political participation through new media and information technology is no longer a novelty. Digital citizenship has become a mainstream activity among those with media access in many of the developed states. The dissemination of information and deliberation among citizens are important trends for a digital democracy. Although many elements affect the health of a democratic system, digital citizenship may have the potential to reverse cynicism and restore trust towards government. Furthermore digital civic engagement platforms can provide a more attractive and accessible means for participation. This issue hopes to not only investigate what digital citizenship is, but also discuss how the various digital platforms are contributing to more participation in various areas and why this is setting new trends for better citizen engagement.

Dr. Muneo Kaigo
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Information is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Digital Citizenry
  • Engagement
  • Media Access
  • E-democracy
  • Inclusion

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

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121 KiB  
Editorial
The Necessity of Digital Citizenship and Participation
by Muneo Kaigo
Information 2017, 8(1), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/info8010028 - 3 Mar 2017
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 4971
Abstract
Many recent developments justify how social and political participation through new media and information and communication technology is an urgent matter for many developed countries [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Citizenship and Participation)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

1222 KiB  
Article
Citizen Relationship Management System Users’ Contact Channel Choices: Digital Approach or Call Approach?
by Wei-Ning Wu
Information 2017, 8(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/info8010008 - 5 Jan 2017
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 8127
Abstract
Many municipal governments adopted 311 decades ago and have advocated access equality in citizens’ use of 311. However, the role of citizens in the development and usage of 311 remains limited. Channel choices have been discussed in various types of governmental information and [...] Read more.
Many municipal governments adopted 311 decades ago and have advocated access equality in citizens’ use of 311. However, the role of citizens in the development and usage of 311 remains limited. Channel choices have been discussed in various types of governmental information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially when the innovative technology has just been adopted. Much has supported the idea that 311 is viewed as a method of digital civic engagement that many municipal governments adopt to maintain citizen relationship management and the capacity for government service delivery. However, we are still unclear about how citizens use it. This study applies the theory of channel expansion to examine how San Francisco residents use the 311 system, and how citizens’ technology experiences impact their 311 digital contact channel choices rather than the 311 hotline contact channel choice. In addition, we discuss major issues in citizens’ 311 contact choices, so that 311 municipal governments may draw lessons from the San Francisco experience. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Citizenship and Participation)
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5853 KiB  
Article
Digital Citizen Participation within Schools in the United Kingdom and Indonesia: An Actor–Network Theory (ANT) Perspective
by Muhammad Yusuf, Carl Adams and Kate Dingley
Information 2016, 7(4), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/info7040069 - 16 Nov 2016
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 11143
Abstract
Citizen engagement and participation are a key focus for government and government agencies, and with the advent of Internet technologies questions arise about the role and impact of technology on citizen participation. This paper aims to explore the role of technology in citizen [...] Read more.
Citizen engagement and participation are a key focus for government and government agencies, and with the advent of Internet technologies questions arise about the role and impact of technology on citizen participation. This paper aims to explore the role of technology in citizen participation within schools. This research used in-depth comparative case studies using examples from two different schools and school systems, one in the United Kingdom and one in Indonesia. The wider school systems are complex and dynamic environments with multiple stakeholders, media, and supporting systems, and the schools operate under geopolitical and social influences. This paper provides a framework, based on Actor-Network Theory (ANT), for capturing e-participation in schools, particularly identifying the influence of technology as a conduit for enabling, engaging, and empowering stakeholders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Citizenship and Participation)
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7342 KiB  
Article
Who Leads Advocacy through Social Media in Japan? Evidence from the “Tsukuba Civic Activities Cyber-Square” Facebook Page
by Sae Okura and Muneo Kaigo
Information 2016, 7(4), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/info7040066 - 9 Nov 2016
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6753
Abstract
Although the importance of advocacy activities by civil society organizations (CSOs) in policy and decision-making procedures has been greatly emphasized in the literature of political science and social policy, we have relatively little understanding of the relevance and impact of the leading actors [...] Read more.
Although the importance of advocacy activities by civil society organizations (CSOs) in policy and decision-making procedures has been greatly emphasized in the literature of political science and social policy, we have relatively little understanding of the relevance and impact of the leading actors who structure the diverse networks and discourses through social media; further recognition is needed in both fields. The purpose of this study is to analyze civil society organizations at the local government level involved in advocacy activities through the use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Our study focuses on a specific Japanese Facebook community page—the “Tsukuba Civic Activities Cyber-Square”—aimed at enhancing civil society activities in Japan. This page is operated by the municipal government of Tsukuba, in collaboration with the University of Tsukuba and Intel Corporation. Our findings indicate that social networking services such as Facebook can provide civil society organizations with: (1) more political opportunities to advocate; (2) more chances to connect with the local government; and (3) create opportunities to exert greater presence, despite their limited financial and political resources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Citizenship and Participation)
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4635 KiB  
Article
Reaching Citizens’ Engagement by Services: Swiss Use Case
by Maria Sokhn, Florian Evequoz and Arnaud Zufferey
Information 2016, 7(4), 65; https://doi.org/10.3390/info7040065 - 3 Nov 2016
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6029
Abstract
Collaboration with citizens and users plays an increasing role in the transformation of public services towards new forms of production and delivery. Thus there is a need to modernize the civil service to accelerate innovation in governments, as civil servants will also have [...] Read more.
Collaboration with citizens and users plays an increasing role in the transformation of public services towards new forms of production and delivery. Thus there is a need to modernize the civil service to accelerate innovation in governments, as civil servants will also have an important role to play. Digital civic engagement platforms can provide a more attractive and accessible means for participation. We believe that neither an exclusive top-down approach nor a bottom-up approach can address the current needs. Instead a hybrid approach should be designed. This paper presents a novel approach to address the issue of current civic disengagement. This approach is illustrated through four different use cases in the Swiss context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Citizenship and Participation)
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603 KiB  
Article
Studying Organizations on Instagram
by Uta Russmann and Jakob Svensson
Information 2016, 7(4), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/info7040058 - 21 Oct 2016
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 24817
Abstract
With the rise of social media platforms based on the sharing of pictures and videos, the question of how such platforms should be studied arises. Previous research on social media (content) has mainly focused on text (written words) and the rather text-based social [...] Read more.
With the rise of social media platforms based on the sharing of pictures and videos, the question of how such platforms should be studied arises. Previous research on social media (content) has mainly focused on text (written words) and the rather text-based social media platforms Twitter and Facebook. Drawing on research in the fields of visual, political, and business communication, we introduce a methodological framework to study the fast-growing image-sharing service Instagram. This methodological framework was developed to study political parties’ Instagram accounts and tested by means of a study of Swedish political parties during the 2014 election campaign. In this article, we adapt the framework to also study other types of organizations active on Instagram by focusing on the following main questions: Do organizations only use Instagram to share one-way information, focusing on disseminating information and self-presentation? Or is Instagram used for two-way communication to establish and cultivate organization-public relationships? We introduce and discuss the coding of variables with respect to four clusters: the perception of the posting, image management, integration, and interactivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Citizenship and Participation)
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216 KiB  
Article
Government-Driven Participation and Collective Intelligence: A Case of the Government 3.0 Initiative in Korea
by Taewoo Nam
Information 2016, 7(4), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/info7040055 - 8 Oct 2016
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6050
Abstract
The Park Geun-hye Administration of Korea (2013–2017) aims to increase the level of transparency and citizen trust in government through the Government 3.0 initiative. This new initiative for public sector innovation encourages citizen-government collaboration and collective intelligence, thereby improving the quality of policy-making [...] Read more.
The Park Geun-hye Administration of Korea (2013–2017) aims to increase the level of transparency and citizen trust in government through the Government 3.0 initiative. This new initiative for public sector innovation encourages citizen-government collaboration and collective intelligence, thereby improving the quality of policy-making and implementation and solving public problems in a new way. However, the national initiative that identifies collective intelligence and citizen-government collaboration alike fails to understand what the wisdom of crowds genuinely means. Collective intelligence is not a magic bullet to solve public problems, which are called “wicked problems”. Collective deliberation over public issues often brings pain and patience, rather than fun and joy. It is not so easy that the public finds the best solution for soothing public problems through collective deliberation. The Government 3.0 initiative does not pay much attention to difficulties in gathering scattered wisdom, but rather highlights uncertain opportunities created by collective interactions and communications. This study deeply discusses the weaknesses in the logic of, and approach to, collective intelligence underlying the Government 3.0 initiative in Korea and the overall influence of the national initiative on participatory democracy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Digital Citizenship and Participation)
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