The Digital Community Centers of the 21st Century? A Mixed-Methods Study of Facebook Groups as Fora for Connective Democracy

Abstract

Facebook groups hold civic potential as fora for connective democracy. Exploring this claim, we offer a contribution to ongoing debates concerning the democratic value of digital communication. Through a mixed-methods approach, including quantitative mapping of approximately 9,000 Danish Facebook groups, netnographic field studies of select groups, and interviews with group moderators, we investigate the groups as “friendlier spaces” of contemporary civic behaviors. We find that the groups enact two key principles of connective democracy: recognizing common identity invites mundane citizenship and negotiating common norms establishes a training ground for political participation. To conceptualize the civic behaviors that arise in the Facebook groups, we introduce the concept of digital community centers, drawing parallels to the cultural history of Danish community centers, which became ubiquitous in the early 1900s and served as hubs for socializing and political exchange throughout the 20th century. We conclude that citizen-led Facebook groups replicate the political potential of traditional community centers, thus serving as their digital equivalents. The groups not only support connective democracy on the ground but also prepare members for formal political participation, thereby holding potential to revitalize democracy in the digital era.