1) In digital late modernity, political participation and citizenship are motivated by "expressive rationality" rather than instrumental or communicative rationality. 2) Expressive rationality refers to citizens being motivated by a desire to express, perform, maintain and recreate their identities and the meanings associated with them. 3) Understanding political participation through this lens of expressive rationality can help explain civic engagement in late modern society, where citizens participate to sustain communities and express their identities rather than to achieve pre-defined goals or have ideal deliberation.