Public Communication and Social Web: How Public Administrations Promote Citizen Sharing and Participation

Abstract

The evolution of Internet, the advent of web 2.0 and the recent spreading of social web, offer public administrations and citizens the opportunity to innovate the way they interact and consider each other in their relations, encouraging more closeness and sharing. The change of the “sense of position in communication” (Boccia Artieri 2009), the valorization of relation and participation concept in social web (Jenkins 2006, Benkler 2007, Castells 2008, Mazzoli 2009), seem to create the conditions for a real change of perspective long sought for (think to the debate on civic networks of the Nineties): citizens, from simple “viewers”, target of institutional messages and “top-down” politics, can become content generators together with administrations, contributing to the creation and spreading of institutional information (citizen journalism) and be involved in the setting and implementation of social campaigns (participative advertising). The measures institutions implement in order to stimulate citizens participation to decision making leading to deliberative democracy, (Faccioli 2007, Bobbio 2002) seem to draw new momentum. A thorough cultural change should take place in public administrations in order to implement such a transformation and avoid operations which are just appearance or, as it has often been the case in Italy and in Europe, an unequal development of digital citizenship in the various territories. In support of theoretical considerations, a few practices shall be considered: the new EU portal and the case of Venice 2.0.