Re-constructing digital democracy: An outline of four ‘positions’

• Published in: New media & society Vol. 13; no. 6; pp. 855 - 872
• Main Author: Dahlberg, Lincoln
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.09.2011
• Subjects: Autonomy; Conceptualization; Democracy; Digital technology; Ideologies; Individualism; Information and communication technologies; Liberalism; Marxism; Mass Media; Policy Making; Public sphere; Technology; Telecommunications; autonomist Marxism; counter-publics; liberal-individualist; digital democracy; deliberative
• ISSN: 1461-4448; 1461-7315
• DOI: 10.1177/1461444810389569

There is currently a diversity of understandings of digital democracy being deployed within popular commentary, research, policy making, and practical initiative. However, there is a lack of resources clearly outlining this diversity; this article undertakes such an outline. It provides a reconstruction of four digital democracy positions. These four positions are referred to here as liberal-individualist, deliberative, counter-publics, and autonomist Marxist. The delineation of each position draws from critical-interpretative research and has been developed with respect to three elements: the democratic subject assumed, the related conception of democracy promoted, and the associated democratic affordances of digital media technology. The aim is to draw attention to different understandings of what extending democracy through digital media means, and to provide a framework for further examination and evaluation of digital democracy rhetoric and practice.