Consumer, client or citizen? How Norwegian local governments domesticate website technology and configure their users

Local governments' websites are important gateways for residents wishing to interact with public institutions online, and the establishment and development of such websites stand out among governmental initiatives to improve their performance. Drawing on domestication theory to apply a change-o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Information, communication & society communication & society, 2015-07, Vol.18 (7), p.733-746
Main Authors: Liste, Lucía, Sørensen, Knut H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citizens
Consumers
Consumption
Content analysis
domestication
e-democracy
E-government
Electronic government
Ideal Types
Information Technology
Internet
Joining
Local Government
local governments
Mapping
Norway
Political communication
Quantitative Methods
Stands
Technology
Telecommunications
Web sites
Websites
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Summary:Local governments' websites are important gateways for residents wishing to interact with public institutions online, and the establishment and development of such websites stand out among governmental initiatives to improve their performance. Drawing on domestication theory to apply a change-oriented perspective, the paper analyses how Norwegian local governments domesticate website technology to make websites and configure their users, based upon three empirical sources: a survey among information and communication technology managers in local governments, a quantitative mapping of the content of the websites of all 430 Norwegian local governments, and a qualitative in-depth content analysis of 10 websites. The findings show that domestication efforts vary a lot across local governments. However, all local governments engage in domestication. Further, we identify as potential domestication outcomes three ideal types of website assemblages: information, client, and citizen assemblages. They point towards three respective user configurations: information consumers, clients, and citizens. The information assemblage is the only one found in all websites. Finally, linking qualitative and quantitative methods is suggested as a way of advancing domestication studies.
ISSN:1369-118X
1468-4462
DOI:10.1080/1369118X.2014.993678