Guidelines for Designing Deliberative Digital Habitats: Learning from e-Participation for Open Data Initiatives

Authors

  • Fiorella De Cindio Department of Informatics and Communication, Università degli Studi di Milano

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15353/joci.v8i2.3040

Keywords:

online deliberation, digital habitat, public policy-making, digital citizenship, digital democracy design, e-democracy, community informatics, Web site design

Abstract

This paper discusses issues in designing deliberative digital habitats. It identifies three dimensions that define them: the gemeinschaft dimension, the gesellschaft dimension, and the technology dimension, the latter with four different spaces. While not a how-to manual, this conceptual framework, rooted in both existing literature and field experimentation, should prove helpful to digital democracy designers, either for public institutions or grassroots movements. As a contribution to the growing body of scholarship on online deliberation, it organizes critical issues so that they will not be overlooked. Examples from field cases illustrate such issues.

Author Biography

Fiorella De Cindio, Department of Informatics and Communication, Università degli Studi di Milano

Fiorella De Cindio is associate professor at the Department of Informatics and Communication, Università degli Studi di Milano. Her teaching includes Programming Languages, Software Engineering, Virtual Communities, and Social Interaction Environments. Her research follows two main lines: participatory design methods for system development and social interactive system design in real-life settings.

De Cindio founded the Civic Informatics Laboratory and the Milan community network RCM in 1994 and continues as president of the RCM Participatory Foundation. In 2001 she was awarded the Ambrogino d'Oro, Milan’s highest civic honor for contributions to the city development. Correspondence can be addressed to the author at fiorella.decindio@unimi.it.

Downloads

Published

2012-04-04