Widening the Disciplinary Scope of eParticipation. Reflections after a Research on

Abstract. Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development may be strong driving factors for local policies and may have great importance in strategic decision making at territorial level; then, they may be important subjects for eParticipation studies. But this paper demonstrates, through a literature review, that today's disciplinary shape of eParticipation as a research field is not suitable to effectively investigate participatory processes related to Tourism and Cultural Heritage. Then, by presenting a field research, which took place in the Italian city of Genoa, and by confronting its outcomes with some most widespread disciplinary eParticipation underpinnings, the paper seeks to identify some areas where a widened disciplinary scope is particularly needed. Finally, we propose a new disciplinary framework, suitable to address also Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development eParticipation processes

DIGITAL KITAMBO: DECOLONISING NARRATIVES AND BRINGING THE PAST INTO THE FUTURE AT THE NATIONAL MUSEUMS OF KENYA

The Swahili word ‘kitambo’, which refers to occurrences in the past that are understood to be at least indirectly connected to the speaker, can be used to describe experimental museology through digital cultural heritage. There is a need to improve access and enhance conservation goals within African cultural heritage institutions, and the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) has been developing innovative technologies and communication tools with the Kenya Heritage Resource Information System (KEHRIS). This paper will discuss Digital Kitambo—a pilot project completed at NMK from 2013 – 2019 to create the spatially integrated database KEHRIS, digitise 10,000 artefacts and specimens from the archaeology and palaeontology collections, and develop digital learning programmes to engage a wider audience.  Qualitative research methodology included participant observation, qualitative interviews and focus groups with museum staff as well as focus groups with primary and secondary teachers to develop curricula for local schools. This paper traces the evolution of Digital Kitambo from its inception and reflects on both the successes and shortcomings of the initiative with particular attention to its goals of decolonising the museum’s collections and contributing to new national narratives by engaging the public through digital initiatives.  A palavra swahili “Kitambo” refere-se a ocorrências passadas, ligadas ao orador, nem que seja de forma indireta; neste sentido, pode ser usada para descrever a museologia experimental através do património cultural digital. Verifica-se a necessidade de melhorar a acessibilidade e os objetivos de conservação nas instituições que conservam o património cultural africano. Nesta perspetiva, os Museus Nacionais do Quénia (NMK) têm vindo a desenvolver tecnologias inovadoras e ferramentas de comunicação com o Kenya Heritage Resource Information System (KEHRIS). O presente texto discute o Kitambo Digital - um projeto piloto, desenvolvido pelos NMK, entre 2013 e 2019, e que visava criar a base de dados espacialmente integrada no KEHRIS, tendo-se procedido à digitalização de 10.000 artefactos e espécimes das coleções de arqueologia e paleontologia, a par do desenvolvimento de programas de aprendizagem digital almejando envolver um público tão vasto quanto possível. A metodologia de investigação qualitativa incluiu a observação dos participantes, entrevistas qualitativas e grupos focais com os funcionários do museu, bem como com docentes do ensino básico e secundário, tendo como objetivo desenvolver currículos para as escolas locais. O texto traça a evolução do Kitambo Digital, desde o seu início, refletindo os seus pontos positivos e as suas vulnerabilidades, tendo particular atenção ao objetivo que diz respeito à descolonização das coleções do museu, contribuindo para o surgimento de novas narrativas nacionais e convocando a participação do público através da promoção e divulgação de iniciativas digitais

Participation Space Studies: a socio-technical exploration of activist and community groups’ use of online and offline spaces to support their work

Participation Space Studies explore eParticipation in the day-to-day activities of local, citizen-led groups, working to improve their communities. The focus is the relationship between activities and contexts. The concept of a participation space is introduced in order to reify online and offline contexts where people participate in democracy. Participation spaces include websites, blogs, email, social media presences, paper media, and physical spaces. They are understood as sociotechnical systems: assemblages of heterogeneous elements, with relevant histories and trajectories of development and use. This approach enables the parallel study of diverse spaces, on and offline. Participation spaces are investigated within three case studies, centred on interviews and participant observation. Each case concerns a community or activist group, in Scotland. The participation spaces are then modelled using a Socio-Technical Interaction Network (STIN) framework (Kling, McKim and King, 2003). The participation space concept effectively supports the parallel investigation of the diverse social and technical contexts of grassroots democracy and the relationship between the case-study groups and the technologies they use to support their work. Participants’ democratic participation is supported by online technologies, especially email, and they create online communities and networks around their goals. The studies illustrate the mutual shaping relationship between technology and democracy. Participants’ choice of technologies can be understood in spatial terms: boundaries, inhabitants, access, ownership, and cost. Participation spaces and infrastructures are used together and shared with other groups. Non-public online spaces, such as Facebook groups, are vital contexts for eParticipation; further, the majority of participants’ work is non-public, on and offline. It is informational, potentially invisible, work that supports public outputs. The groups involve people and influence events through emotional and symbolic impact, as well as rational argument. Images are powerful vehicles for this and digital images become an increasingly evident and important feature of participation spaces throughout the consecutively conducted case studies. Collaboration of diverse people via social media indicates that these spaces could be understood as boundary objects (Star and Griesemer, 1989). The Participation Space Studies draw from and contribute to eParticipation, social informatics, mediation, social shaping studies, and ethnographic studies of Internet us

Electronic participation through social media citizens' acceptance factors at local government level

Tese de Doutoramento em Information System and TechnologyMuitas das iniciativas de Participação Eletrónica (e-Participação) − vistas neste estudo como o uso das Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) para facilitar a participação do cidadão no processo de tomada de decisão política −, não têm conseguido alcançar o sucesso esperado no que concerne ao nível de envolvimento do cidadão atingido. Esta falta de envolvimento é particularmente evidente nas iniciativas lideradas e disponibilizadas pelos governos (iniciativas governamentais de e-Participação). Embora o rápido crescimento das redes sociais, especialmente do Facebook, seja apontado como um meio promissor para fomentar e melhorar o nível de participação do cidadão, o problema do baixo nível de aceitação e de envolvimento do cidadão em iniciativas de e-participação persiste. Importa, pois, compreender, conceptualizar e teorizar sobre os fatores que afetam o nível de aceitação evidenciado pelo cidadão em relação a esse tipo de iniciativas. Assim, é finalidade deste estudo investigar os fatores relevantes que influenciam a intenção dos cidadãos de aceitarem e de se envolverem nas iniciativas governamentais de e-Participação disponibilizadas através do Facebook, baseando-se na Teoria do Comportamento Planeado (Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)), devidamente estendida pela incorporação de um conjunto de fatores relevantes que emergiram da literatura relevante. Os resultados quantitativos de um questionário respondido por 400 cidadãos Jordanos, mostram que a atitude do cidadão (citizen attitude (ATT)), a eficácia de participação (participation efficacy (PE)), e o controlo comportamental percecionado (perceived behavioral control (PBC)) afetam direta e positivamente a intenção de participação do cidadão. Por sua vez, a atitude do cidadão é determinada pela eficácia de participação (participation efficacy (PE)), utilidade percecionada e compatibilidade do Facebook (perceived usefullness (PU) e compatibility (COMP)), e valor percecionado do envolvimento do cidadão nas iniciativas governamentais de e- Participação (perceived value (PV)). Contrariamente, nem as normas sociais (social norms (SN)) nem a confiança do cidadão no Facebook (citizen’s trust in Facebook (CT_FB)) têm impacto significativo na intenção e atitude do cidadão. Adicionalmente, o valor percecionado (perceived value (PV)) é influenciado pela perceção de facilidade de utilização do Facebook (perceived ease of use (PEOU)) e pela confiança dos cidadãos no governo (citizen’s trust in government (CT_GOV)). O estudo mostra ainda que os cidadãos Jordanos apresentam uma atitude positiva em relação ao envolvimento em iniciativas governamentais de e participação disponibilizadas através do Facebook mas apresentam uma intenção moderada de participar em tais iniciativas. Por ser um dos poucos trabalhos conhecidos focado no estudo da intenção dos cidadãos de aceitarem e de se envolverem em iniciativas governamentais de e-Participação disponibilizadas através das redes sociais, o estudo aqui descrito aporta contribuições relevantes para o desenvolvimento do conhecimento teórico e prático no domínio da participação eletrónica.Electronic Participation (e-Participation) initiatives, seen as the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) for facilitating citizen participation in the process of policy decision-making, have often had a limited success of citizens' engagement, particularly those initiatives sponsored by governments (government-led e-Participation initiatives). While the rapid growth of using social media networks, specifically Facebook, represented a new promising venue for enhancing citizens’ participation, the problem of low-level citizens’ acceptance and engagement remains. Hence, conceptual clarity on what factors affect citizens’ acceptance of such initiatives are yet to be theorized. This study aims at investigating relevant factors that influence citizens’ intention to accept and to engage in government-led e-Participation initiatives through Facebook, based on extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) through the incorporation of a set of factors that emerged from relevant literature. Using data from a survey of 400 Jordanian citizens, the quantitative results proved that citizen attitude (ATT), participation efficacy (PE), and perceived behavioral control (PBC) directly and positively affect citizen’s intention to participate. Citizen attitude, in turn, is determined by participation efficacy (PE), perceived usefulness and compatibility of Facebook (PU and COMP), and perceived value of citizen’s involvement in government-led e-Participation initiatives (PV). However, neither social norms (SN) nor citizen’s trust in Facebook (CT_FB) have significant impact over citizen intention or attitude. Further, perceived value (PV) is influenced by perceived ease of use of Facebook (PEOU), and citizen’s trust in government (CT_GOV). Additionally, the study found that Jordanian citizens uphold relatively high positive attitude toward engaging in government-led e-Participation initiatives through Facebook but they have a moderate intention to participate in those initiatives. As the present work is one of very few studies addressing citizens’ intention to accept and to engage in e-Participation initiatives through social media in government context, the study provides important implications for theory and practice