This document summarizes a presentation on online non-participation and negative participation. It discusses current biases in online participation research, including a political bias, positivity bias, and activity bias. It then outlines a qualitative study exploring how citizens define and understand online participation versus engagement. The study finds distinctions between effortful vs. easy, active vs. passive, and positive vs. negative forms of participation. Based on these findings, the presentation proposes a new typology of online participation and non-participation that considers involvement, agency, and social valence.

1. The Dark Side of Online Participation
Exploring Non- and Negative Participation
Christoph Lutz - @lutzid
Christian Pieter Hoffmann - @cphoffmann
AoIR 2016
Berlin, 6 October 2016

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Page 2
Current Trends in Online Participation Research

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Page 3 Increasing Interest in Topic
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
ProQuest results from 1990 onwards
Lutz, Hoffmann, & Meckel, 2014

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Page 4 Topical Areas
Political Participation/
Civic Engagement
Economic/
Business Health
Culture
Education
Literacy/Divide
Lutz, Hoffmann, & Meckel, 2014

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Page 5 (At least) Three Biases in the Literature
1. Political Bias
Online participation research focuses heavily on political participation.
2. Positivity Bias
Online participation research is positive and optimistic.
3. Activity Bias
Online participation implies an active user.

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Page 6 Political Bias
67%
8%
11%
6% 8%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
Political Business Education Health Culture
Lutz, Hoffmann, & Meckel, 2014

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Page 7 Positivity Bias
“In fact, as several scholars note, one of
the principal problems with the
discourses on participation is that it is
almost always seen as a positive and
empowering force.”
Literat, 2016, p. 10

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Page 8 Activity Bias
Casemajor, Couture, Delphine, Goerzen, & Delfanti, 2015

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Page 9
A More Nuanced Typology

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Page 10 Qualitative Study
• Focus groups and online communities
How do citizens from different Internet milieus define online participation and
engagement? Does their everyday understanding match the academic
understanding?
• 12 groups with 8 participants per group

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Page 11 General Results
• Clear distinction between participation and engagement;
participation less clearly defined.
• Engagement is seen as more valuable and beneficial than
participation. Engagement is considered social, meaningful and
helpful for others.
• Participation is seen in a very broad sense. Almost every form of
Internet use can be seen as participation:
– Effortful vs. easy forms of participation
– Positive vs. negative forms of participation

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Page 12 Involvement: Effortful vs. Easy
“If I just sign up for a service because I want to read something, then I’m a
completely passive participant. But if I sign up and write something
myself, then I’m active.”
“If I only get information on some sites, then I’m not participating. To
participate, you would need to blog, you would have to help others in
online communities, you would need to collect donations in some way or
another. So, you would have to be active in some form. That’s my
understanding of participation.”
“If I am very active on Facebook, then I am participated anew time and
time again by being messaged (…) I am constantly participated for all kind
of nonsense that goes on. I can’t turn that off.”
=> Voluntary and unvoluntary participation can be distinguished

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Page 13 Intentionality and Agency: Active vs. Passive
“You get these news about online petitions on your smartphone. And if
that tickles my interest, I might choose to support this petition. And then
you are being kept up-to-date about the petitions you signed.”
“I can participate and I can be participated. Voluntarily or involuntarily.
Participation means actively taking on responsibility. Being participated
means being forced to do something, responsibility being pushed onto
you.”
“Once, I was invited to provide a rating. Finally, after two weeks I managed
to do it, I just wrote two sentences. I was engaged because I had to do
something although I really didn’t feel like doing it.”

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Page 14 Social Valence: Positive vs. Negative Participation
“And there are trolls, people who have fun provoking others. And when
they notice that someone pays attention they can spam a whole forum.
It has nothing to do with the original chat anymore.”
“Participation can lead to recruitment in the end. Iraq, Syria and so on…
How many Germans are now fighting for ISIS? They have been recruited
as well.”
“If it’s your thing to dress up in pink bunny costumes and play football
like this, then you can arrange yourself with people from Hong Kong,
London and Barcelona and you meet up in Chile and play. And this is
something I can’t imagine being done by postcard or fan magazine.”

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Page 15 A Typology of (Non-)Participation
Involvement
High: Participation Low: Non-Participation
Agency
Valence
Active Passive Active Passive
Positive
Positive active
participation
Intentional
constructive
engagement
Positive passive
participation
Unintentional
constructive
engagement
Positive active
non-participation
Abstention as agency
Positive passive
non-participation
Lack of necessity or
advantage
Negative
Negative active
participation
Intentional
destructive
engagement
Negative passive
participation
Involuntary
undesired
engagement
Negative active
non-participation
Silencing, self-censoring
Negative passive
non-participation
Exclusion

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Page 16
Thanks for your
Attention
Institute for Media and Communications Management
University of St. Gallen
Blumenbergplatz 9
CH-9000 St. Gallen

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Page 17 References
• Casemajor, N., Couture, S., Delfin, M., Goerzen, M., & Delfanti, A. (2015). Non-
participation in digital media: toward a framework of mediated political action.
Media, Culture & Society, 37(6), 850-866.
• Literat, I. (2016). Interrogating participation across disciplinary boundaries:
Lessons from political philosophy, cultural studies, art, and education. New
Media & Society, online first. doi: 1461444816639036.
• Lutz, C. Hoffmann, C. P., & Meckel, M. (2014). Beyond just politics: A systematic
literature review of online participation. First Monday, 19(7). Retrieved from
http://www.ojphi.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/5260/4094

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Page 18 Collaboration with Sinuts: Internet milieus

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Page 19 Collaboration with Sinuts: Internet milieus

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Page 20 Structure of the Online Communities (1/3)
ACTIVITY TYPE
Day 1
Welcome Chat
Presentation of tasks, structure, moderation
Chat
Your day on the Internet/Your day on Facebook
Natives/Immigrants/Outsiders: Please describe what you did today on the Internet.
Natives: Please describe what you see on your Facebook feed.
Diary
Day 2
Spontaneous Association
Please write down some keywords that come to mind when you read the following two concepts.
- Participation on the Internet
- Engagement on the Internet
Diary
Day 3
Your Online Participation
Think about what you’ve been doing online in the last few days. Would you say that during this time
you participated on the Internet? Would you say you were engaging on the Internet? If yes, what
exactly did you do? Why would you say you were participating or engaged?
Diary
Collage Online Participation
It would be great if you could find fitting picture for your participation or your engagement on the
Internet. You can draw your own picture here, upload an image or just included a screenshot.
Diary

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Page 21 Structure of the Online Communities (2/3)
ACTIVITY TYPE
Day 4
An Example for Participation
Michael Maier manages an online forum for dachshund enthusiasts. In this forum, around 20
people regularly swap ideas about the care and breedings of dachshunds. Michael started the
forum and moderates it. Almost every, he check what goes on in the forum and around every second
day, he writes a short comments himself.
Would you say Michael participates on the Internet or he engages online? Why? What about the
other members of the forum, are they participating or engaging? Why?
Forum
Day 5
Picture Sorting
Please assign the following cards/pictures to one of the following three categories: «Participation
on the Internet», «Engagement on the Internet» or «Neither nor».
Diary
Day 6
Your Engagement on the Internet
Please name a site where you are engaging. What exactly are you doing there? Why are you
engaging on this site? Which advantages does this site have?
If you think you are not engaged on the Internet, we would be interested why. From your point of
view, what are the reasons why you are not participating?
Diary
Day 7
Areas of Participation
Please look at these two Internet sites. Would you participate here? If yes, how? If no, why not?
Open Petition; Avaaz; Shutterstock; Gute Frage; Netdoktor; Iversity (2 sites per person)
Diary

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Page 22 Structure of the Online Communities (3/3)
ACTIVITY TYPE
Day 8
Discussion of Statements: Negative
«I do not participate on the Internet because I fear losing control of my personal data.»
What do you think about this statement? Would you agree or disagree? Why?
Forum
Day 9
Discussion of Statements: Positive
«I participate on the Internet because I can learn somethin useful and can help others.»
What do you think about this statement? Would you agree or disagree? Why?
Forum
Day 10
Ideal Participation on the Internet
Is there an area where you’d like to participate more on the Internet? If yes, which one? What
keeps you from being more engaged in this area? Is there something that could make your
engagement easier?
Diary
Day 11
Ranking of Participation Activities
Please order the following activites according to their degree of participation or engagement, from
a lot of participation or engagement to little participation or engagement.
Watching a Facebook video about an art happening and commenting on it; Making an entry in a
football/soccer online community; Offering your own flat online for sharing; Writing a restaurant
review on Tripadvisor; Running a forum for Mac PCs; Signing an online petition against a local
construction plan; Participating in an online language course; Online dating via an app
Diary