Communicative Civic-ness

Social Media and Political Culture

Bridgette Wessels

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781317337720
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

Communicative Civic-ness explores how political culture shapes social media interactions in civic participation, arguing that social media usage is informed by context-specific civil and political culture.

Drawing on cutting-edge research, the book develops a new robust theoretical and conceptual framework on civic engagement and participation, comprising:

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• contextual ethos of civic communication;

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• political culture and civic communication;

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• use of social media in private and public spheres;

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• design of social media.

It critically addresses issues within the concept of political culture and develops the concept of 'communicative civic-ness'. This concept seeks to aid a better-informed debate about the capacity of social media to support the pluralistic discussions that underpin deliberative democratic processes.

This book appeals to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as academics with an interest in areas including (but not limited to) sociology, political science and media studies. It will also provide useful information and understanding to third sector organisations and policy-makers regarding forms of civic participation.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• List of illustrations
• Acknowledgements
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Engagement and participation: forms and practices
• 3. Voicing issues: the public sphere and the media
• 4. Digital media, social media and communication
• 5. The design and use of social media in forms of participation
• 6. Political culture: communication and ways of relating
• 7. Contexts of civic communication at the local, national and global levels
• 8. Contexts of civic communication: campaigning, citizen journalism and general social media use in civic life
• 9. Networks of social media and civic engagement and participation
• 10. Communicative civic-ness: framing communication, civic engagement and participation
• 11. Conclusion: communicative civic-ness
• Bibliography
• Index