Originally, I defined civic media as “the tools and technologies that facilitate the exchange of information and ideas between people, often in pursuit of common goals.” I also noted that it’s important to avoid normative judgments of civic media, because the effects and potential of these tools are dependent upon the intentions of those who utilize them. After learning more about digital inequalities, however, I would also like to add that the impact of civic media in a given community is largely dependent upon whom is using it. New media, in particular, seem to exacerbate existing socioeconomic disparities in communities by increasing the gap between information “haves” and “have-nots,” not to mention contributing to the global “digital divide.”
After examining various frameworks for civic media (historical, public sphere theory, subaltern counterpublics, radical media, etc.), I suppose that I find the public sphere framework most compelling – not because I think it is the “best” way to look at civic media, but because it could be helpful for re-framing civic participation in various contexts. For example, the United States — a country once touted for its rich associational life. Amidst declining membership rates in traditional civic organizations, how are digital media changing the way that we interact with our communities, articulate our interests, and formulate public opinion? Or, in the case of the former-Soviet space, how can access to participatory media help overcome legacies of a weak civil society? In both cases, looking at how the Internet does and does not act as a public sphere could be a useful way for assessing new forms of civic participation.
The future of civic media, clearly, is online. The question is: how will differential access to digital ICTs affect the already unequal distribution of social (and economic) capital throughout the world? What kinds of interventions should take place, if any? Most likely, these questions will need to be answered on a case-by-case basis, in response to the unique resources and needs of individual communities.