Dark Participation

• DOI: 10.17645/mac.v6i4.1519
• Publication Date: 2018-11-08T22:54:37Z
• Authors: Thorsten Quandt
• Keywords: Great Rift; Populism; Rejuvenation

Citizen participation in the news-making process has been a hopeful promise since 1990s. Observers hoped for rejuvenation of journalism and democracy alike. However, many enthusiastic theoretical concepts on user engagement did not endure close empirical examination. Some major fallacies these early works (to whom author contributed himself) will be outlined this article. As bleak flip side to utopian ideas, concept “dark participation” is introduced here. research revealed, type seems growing parallel recent wave populism Western democracies. In systematization, some essential aspects dark differentiated. Finally, benefits (also) looking at wicked things discussed.