Online Non-Participation : Exploring Abstinence from Participatory Internet Uses

Social media have been described as participatory media, because they facilitate the publication and sharing of content by lay audiences. Increasingly, research is differentiating forms of "online participation" in social domains as diverse as business, politics, culture or education. At the same time, research into the social stratification of Internet use ("digital divide") has triggered a lively debate on causes for non-participatory Internet uses. Most recently, it was recognized that digital non-participation can vary not only in causation but also in significance, as it may signify either an active or a passive stance and user intention. Active forms of non-participation could include acts of boycotts and obfuscation, such as the use of anonymization techniques. By contrast, passive non-participation occurs when individuals do not participate for a lack of skills, interest, or time. To differentiate the terminology of online non-participation among German Internet users and explore distinct causes, the authors have conducted a qualitative study based on focus groups with a diverse selection of Internet users.