ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how social media are being used in online citizen-led campaigning, various types of journalism and general types of civic engagement. The argument made in this chapter also supports the claim that civic participation and the use of social media are both, to some degree, context specific. The kinds of issues that are raised through civic discussions vary in relation to their contexts and communities. Political culture in contemporary society involves online campaigning networks, participatory journalism and non-governmental organisations' work, alongside other, more general types of civic participation, including the use of social media. The chapter discusses online campaigning, participatory journalism, and the ways that people use social media to engage in civic life. In the field of journalism, citizen-led activity and use of social media interacts with mainstream media, just as it does in the context of campaigning, and both contribute to the dynamics of political culture.
