University of Illinois at Chicago University Library
Abstract
Civic computing research is concerned with the relationship of digital technologies to civic participation. We discuss Foucault’s work on the care of the self which considers how a person seeks a certain mode of being such as happiness, perfection, or wisdom. We describe our qualitative study of Chinese mainland citizens who used technologies to understand and participate in political events, in particular the Hong Kong Umbrella Movement. We examine how care of the self offers an alternative, critical perspective for rethinking civic participation and civic computing
