Opening-up the black box of participation: a reception study into the conditions of possibility of mediated participatory practices
Abstract
Within the Web 2.0 hype, participation (again) became a key signifier, promising the fulfilment of our democratic fantasies. This chapter aims to add to the debates on the democratic revolution and the political-ideological significance of mediated participation by comparing the reception of two North Belgian participatory media products.
One of these case studies is based on the "new" world of a YouTube-like online platform called 16plus, the second case study is based on the "old" concept of access television in a 2002 TV programme called Barometer. In both cases, the reception study shows little enthusiasm or downright rejection from the part of their audiences, although the focus group members still use a maximalist (and almost contradictory) discourse of media democracy, and fiercely critique the mainstream media and their professionals.
Through an analysis of these multi-layered audience receptions, this chapter will show that participatory practices are not unconditionally appreciated by audience members, but subject to specific conditions of possibility. Albeit in different degrees, these case studies show the importance of quality and social relevance for the evaluation of participatory practices.