Abstract
Web 2.0 has given the concept of participation a relevance for studies of media and communication. Participation is frequently used in academic texts about mediated realities and more specifically in those related to online media.
This enthusiasm experienced by researchers is often accompanied by a lack of theoretical elaboration of the concept of participation, which weakens empirical research on participatory practices in and through the media. This chapter proposes to reinforce the theoretical framework of the concept of participation through the use of a negative-relativistic and interdisciplinary point of view to distinguish access, interaction and participation.
The definitional debate makes it possible to highlight the close link between participation, power and decision-making, while access and interaction are seen as preconditions for participation. Conceptual comparison leads to the development of the aip model to map the different meanings of the concepts of access, interaction and participation.