Digital Participation and the Sociomaterial Effects of TikTok in a Municipal Context
2026 (English)In: Proceedings of the 59th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences: Hyatt Regency Maui, January 6-9, 2026 / [ed] Tung X. Bui, Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa , 2026, p. 2340-2349Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]
In the context of digital participation in the public sector, the challenge of effectively utilizing digital initiatives to increase public engagement has emerged as a key area of research. In this study, we focus on the first municipality in Sweden to establish a TikTok channel, an initiative that seeks to foster a novel form of digital participation, providing young people with a platform to express their voices. Research on digital participation has traditionally explored how people access, use, and are affected by technology. Using a sociomaterial perspective, we explore digital participation and the intertwining of TikTok in everyday work in the municipality. This study contributes to research on the promise and complexity of digital participation, by demonstrating new dimensions through three sociomaterial effects, exposure, disruption, and trade-off. These insights also highlight why digital participation is not a straightforward solution that governments can simply implement without adopting a systemic approach.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa , 2026. p. 2340-2349
Keywords [en]
e-Democracy, e-Participation and e-Voting, digital participation, municipality, social media, socio-materiality
National Category
Information Systems, Social aspects Design
Research subject
EcoJust -Ecologically and Socially Just Sustainability Transformations; Digital transformations; Other research area
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-59271ISBN: 978-0-9981331-9-5 (electronic)OAI: oai:DiVA.org:sh-59271DiVA, id: diva2:2038318
Conference
Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Hyatt Regency Maui, January 6-9, 2026.
2026-02-132026-02-132026-02-13Bibliographically approved