The Third Annual
Journal of Information Technology & Politics Conference
May 16 &
17, 2011 – University of Washington
- Seattle, WA
JITP 2011 Speaker:
Lance Bennett, University of Washington,
Title: "Facilitating
Encounters with Political Difference: Engaging Voters with the Living
Voters Guide"
Abstract:
Unlike 20th-century mass media, the Internet requires self-selection
of content by its very nature. This has raised the normative concern
that users may opt to encounter only political information and
perspectives that accord with their preexisting views. This study
examines the different ways that voters appropriated a new,
purpose-built online engagement platform to engage with a wide
variety of political opinions and arguments. In a deployment aimed
at helping Washington state citizens make their 2010 election
decisions, we find that users take significant advantage of three
key opportunities to engage with political diversity: reading,
acknowledging, and writing arguments on both sides of various policy
proposals. Notably, engagement with each of these forms of
participation drops off as the required level of commitment
increases. We conclude by discussing the implications of these
results as well as directions for future research.
Lance Bennett, Professor, received his Ph.D. in political science from
Yale University in 1974, and has taught since then at the University of
Washington, where he is Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor Communication and
Professor of Political Science. He is also founder and director of the
Center for Communication and Civic Engagement. The Center is dedicated
to understanding how communication processes and technologies can
enhance citizen engagement with social life, politics, and global
affairs.
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