TY - JOUR

T1 - Theoretical approaches to digital services and digital democracy

T2 - The Merits of the Contextual New Medium Theory Model

AU - Hoff, Jens Villiam

AU - Scheele, Christian Elling

PY - 2014/9/17

Y1 - 2014/9/17

N2 - The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework, which can be used in the analysis of all types of (political-administrative) web applications. Through a discussion and criticism of social construction of technology (SCOT), an earlier version of this model based on new medium theory (the NeMT model), Leavitt’s “diamond” and Jane Fountain’s “technology enactment model”, the paper arrives at a new version of the the NeMT-model, called the contextual NeMT-model. Like the earlier version of the NeMT-model the new version focuses on how the specific affordances of the Internet are translated into specific (political-administrative) practices, and how these practices are produced through the interplay between discourses, actors and technology. However, the new version places practices more firmly at the centre of the model, as practices, following Reckwitz, is seen as the enactment of discourses and technology in the everyday routines. Finally, the paper demonstrates the merits of the model by using it in the analysis of the digital practices of the municipality of Odder; a frontrunner in digital services and democracy in Denmark.

AB - The purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework, which can be used in the analysis of all types of (political-administrative) web applications. Through a discussion and criticism of social construction of technology (SCOT), an earlier version of this model based on new medium theory (the NeMT model), Leavitt’s “diamond” and Jane Fountain’s “technology enactment model”, the paper arrives at a new version of the the NeMT-model, called the contextual NeMT-model. Like the earlier version of the NeMT-model the new version focuses on how the specific affordances of the Internet are translated into specific (political-administrative) practices, and how these practices are produced through the interplay between discourses, actors and technology. However, the new version places practices more firmly at the centre of the model, as practices, following Reckwitz, is seen as the enactment of discourses and technology in the everyday routines. Finally, the paper demonstrates the merits of the model by using it in the analysis of the digital practices of the municipality of Odder; a frontrunner in digital services and democracy in Denmark.

KW - Det Samfundsvidenskabelige Fakultet

KW - Internet, analytical model, practices, digital services, digital democracy, context

U2 - 10.1002/1944-2866.POI368

DO - 10.1002/1944-2866.POI368

M3 - Tidsskriftartikel

VL - 6

SP - 241

EP - 267

JO - Policy & Internet

JF - Policy & Internet

SN - 1944-2866

IS - 3

M1 - 2

ER -