Social media as public sphere : an exploratory study of online political communication in Norway

Doctoral dissertation, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Agder, Kristiansand 2013This thesis presents an exploratory study of the use of social media in the Norwegian public sector, and contributes to the understanding of how social media can be applied to improve deliberation. The study is situated within the eParticipation research field. The motivation for the study is the reported challenges facing democracy, in the form of lower voter turnout, decline in political party membership, and a general lessening of interest for public issues and deliberation. Deliberation is seen as essential for democracy, and promoting deliberation could well lead to an increase in voter turnout, party membership and the general interest for public affairs. In an attempt to increase political participation and thereby deliberation, government has introduced several Information and Communication technologies (ICT). In recent years, social media have also been introduced. ..