Towards (Hyper)Local Public Sphere: Comparison of Civic Engagement across the Global North

Lottie Jangdal,Katja Lehtisaari,Olga Dovbysh,Jaana Hujanen

doi:10.17645/mac.v9i3.3929

Abstract

The role of hyperlocal media is of increasing relevance as traditional local journalism experiences a decline due to centralisation and consolidation. The affordances of Internet and digital technologies also enable hyperlocal initiatives to enhance civic engagement in localities and serve as a place and resource for local deliberative processes. This study examines how the aims, perceptions and practices of hyperlocal media vary in three countries of the Global North—Sweden, Finland and Russia—and what implications this has for connectedness and civic engagement in local public spheres. The context of different media systems and local political regimes help to explore possibilities and limitations of hyperlocals as agents of place-oriented civic engagement. The data includes interviews with practitioners and analysis of selected hyperlocal media. Our results indicate that hyperlocal media practitioners in all three countries aim to provide local people and communities with a voice, and to enhance resident engagement in local life. We reveal three civic roles of hyperlocal media: (i) information provider, (ii) community builder, and (iii) civic mediator. Practices of civic engagement used by hyperlocal media range from relying on civic journalism to fostering civic debates and can be classified in two main categories: civic information and civic debate and interaction. The perceptions and practices of these hyperlocal media are, to some extent, similar because of comparable changes and challenges regarding the local media and public spheres. At the same time, the perceptions of civic roles vary, reflecting both the developments and differences in the countries’ media spheres and political regimes. This research raises a critical question about hyperlocal practitioners’ understanding of their own roles and aims, and in addition, how differences in media cultures and local regimes affect their performance as agents of local public spheres.

Highlights

The role of hyperlocal media is of increasing relevance as traditional local journalism is in decline, experiencing processes of centralisation, consolidation and devalua‐tion in the age of ‘platformisation.’ Despite liminal field positions in terms of capital and resources, small hyper‐ local media demonstrate physical proximity with their audiences and tend to produce a sense of community togetherness (Örnebring et al, 2020)
We focus on how the practitioners make sense of and describe their civic role, as well as how their per‐ ceptions affect the dynamics of local media and trans‐ formations of the localised public sphere
The article studies what types of practices hyperlocal media outlets have implemented to enhance civic engagement

Summary

Introduction

The role of hyperlocal media is of increasing relevance as traditional local journalism is in decline, experiencing processes of centralisation, consolidation and devalua‐tion in the age of ‘platformisation.’ Despite liminal field positions in terms of capital and resources, small hyper‐ local media demonstrate physical proximity with their audiences and tend to produce a sense of community togetherness (Örnebring et al, 2020). Being a comparatively new addition to the local media sphere, hyperlocal media cover a wide range of initiatives, usually defined as media that target a limited geographical area, have a community orientation, con‐ tain original news reporting, are indigenous to the web, fill perceived news gaps and stimulate civic engagement (Metzgar et al, 2011). Researchers stress their small scale, independence from established media houses and orientation towards sharing citizen‐driven content at a grassroots level—which makes these media a means for people’s individual expression and involvement in local life and debates (Radcliffe, 2012; Turner, 2015). What is common among these diverse outlets is their spatialised orientation, which affects the practices and logic of these media and the practitioners standing behind them (Rodgers, 2018)

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