The Role of Social Media in Participatory Democracy: A Case Study of Facebook Groups

Abstract

This dissertation investigates three Facebook groups as case studies of the role of social media in enhancing participatory democracy. I argue that the groups were formed to provide avenues for articulating discourses that are counter to the dominant voices of their societies. The study posits that in stratified societies there typically emerges a dominant hegemonic public opinion, which is inimical to the needs, hopes, desires, and aspirations of subordinate classes. The key research question I ask is: How are these groups using social media to build and articulate identities that question the dominant public opinion about issues that have traditionally been controlled by a hegemonic voice?