To speak of participation today raises a series of questions on how the presence and use of new media affect modes of social participation. From a variety of theoretical, empirical and methodological perspectives, the contributions in this volume explore participation in different social realms - from everyday life, interpersonal relationships, work and leisure activities to collective and political action. This collection demonstrates that participation is a localised notion, assuming a multitude of shapes under a variety of technological, political, socio-economic, linguistic and cultural conditions.

This volume represents a collection of recent thinking and research on the social and cultural aspects of contemporary broadband societies by exploring the social experiences and practices of using new information and communication technologies (ICT) within different contexts and domains of the emerging broadband society. It offers a compendium of the latest thoughts and questions on digitally mediated citizenship, networked identity, and sociality in the 21st Century and covers four main themes and empirical areas of research: uses and practices of new media, with particular focus on underprivileged groups, new media and the social differentiation of their use, ICT use and sustainable development, and finally new technologies, new challenges.