The use of social networks by parliaments as an instrument of political participation. A case study of Europe and Latin America

Abstract

Social networks are considered one of the most important developments of the Internet. They are also seen as spaces for social movements in which the channels of information, debate, and participation merge. Using content analysis this article explores social media as an instrument to motivate political participation by citizens from ten countries. Based on the political action axes (Vedel, 2007), a content analysis is conducted to compare the following factors between two years (2010 and 2015): the type of open social networks used, the evolution of their use and potential to generate information, and deliberative and participative processes. The outcomes show that parliaments of the analyzed countries use social media tools to communicate their activities and news. However, they don´t use them as a deliberative and participative scenario integrated into the political decision process.