Citizenship and participation on the internet : the case of Participatório - Observatório participativo da juventude

Abstract

Many actions political and social character have been strengthened and worsened the extent that the internet has given support to them, using their network architecture to disseminate information and promote collective discussion. From this tool it was possible to propose and organize actions and broaden the channels of participation. In order to understand how Internet tools contribute to this scenario of political and social participation in Brazil, identified a website launched by the National Youth Secretariat (SNJ), the Participatório: Observatório Participativo da Juventude, which aims to produce information on youth from the participation of young people themselves, setting up a citizens' participation in government affairs channel. From the example of Participatory, this study aims to reflect on how government digital information environments can promote political and social participation of citizens. It is understand whether Web-based tools enable citizen participation and what the quality of that participation. Specifically we aim to: Understand the concept of participation and online participation; Understand the strategies of political and social participation of Brazilian youth; Describe and analyze the Participatory website in the context of online participation, in order to verify your coverage and performance and estimate its potential as a digital environment linking the Brazilian youth and the federal government; Analyze the quality of online participation in Participatory while a digital information environment that aims to promote the participation of Brazilian youth. The research proposed here is characterized by having as a methodological aspect a qualitative and quantitative approach. From the specific objectives to be achieved, this research envisages theoretical and empirical results directly related to the political and social participation, online participation and the potential of the internet and its tools in strengthening of democracy.