| Abstract [eng] |
Political communication exists from the ancient times, when people started to rule: lands, people and other resources. Communication involves all spheres of life. Various techniques are used for political communication, starting with mass communication medium, ending with communication to purposive groups. Bigger and bigger influence to political communication is being made by emerging information and communication technologies. These technologies created possibility to develop new forms of political participation and citizen’s communication. Failing civic participation in voting worries democracy’s future. Will new communication technologies stimulate people’s civic action? Master paper object – virtual communities, which express their members civic will actively, and their role in political communication. Paper’s purpose is to analyze, how virtual communities of civically active members participate and communicate in political public sphere. The main tasks are: to analyze processes of political communication, to name communities role in them; to discuss how political communication is integrated on the internet; investigate, how virtual communities, that express civic will, develop, and what is its importance to political communication; to clear, how concrete virtual civic community acted in Lithuania, what people participated in it, what common specific actions were maid by community in particular situations. There were used literature analysis, synthesis and case study of virtual civic community „Už Prezidentūrą, dirbančią Lietuvai“ methods. The paper come to a conclusion, that political communication is used to achieve specific purposes of politicians, to inform politicians and citizens each other and to spread media’s news to society and government. Political communication on the internet allows possibility for direct communication of citizens and institutions without any traditional mediator. Virtual sphere is important because of information spread, interchange, civic expression and civic mobilization. The voice of virtual community is better heard then the voice of singe anonymous internet user. Virtual communities are specific in their governing, because they have no governing place, after which diffusion or destruction the community could fail. Its members, who have indefinable relations, express their civic position more bravely. Also there is possibility for virtual community members to fall into the group with risk of manipulation, because anonymity forbids clearance of all relations. Different communication technologies extend range of possible community members; community becomes more opened, public, influential body in computer mediated communication. Suitable combination of setting technical and social characteristics facilitates communication of virtual community. Nowadays is seen movement from previous popular long-term commitment (parties, church etc.), to short term actions in mobile teams. The most suitable environment for it is virtual sphere. Virtual communities make the influence to political communication by publicizing their ideas, organizing broad actions in real environment. |
