Participatory Democracy and the Value of Online Community Networks: An Exploration of Online and Offline Communities Engaged in Civil Society and Political Activity

The paper reports on a study of the attributes and perceptions of people engaged in some form of civic activity either through internet-based groups, or more traditional groups, who meet physically. These are defined as online and offline communities. Comparisons are drawn between the responses of those engaged in both types of groups to determine whether the motivations, behaviour, and satisfaction of participants differ because of the medium of communication. Contrary to some expectations in the literature, the findings suggest that participants in online groups are marginally less satisfied with their participation in their group than those engaged in offline groups.