New Media and Civic Participation in Morocco

Hanae AIT HATTANI

Abstract:

The modern democratic systems are facing a long-term crisis of participation and civic apathy. However, the emergence of the new media and cyberspace has created significant opportunities, especially for youth, for civic engagement. New media has provided increased opportunities for users to generate their own content, share multimedia information, and discuss about issues. Situated within the framework of the democratic-participation and the uses and gratifications theories of the media, the paper acknowledges that the new media possesses the potential to engender online civic engagement among the Moroccan young population. This study uses data from nationwide surveys of 18 to 40-year-old Moroccan citizens to examine the elements of Moroccan youth online motivations, uses, and experiences, focusing on the different aspects of their civic engagement. The results of the quantitative questionnaire reveal that the online platforms today seem to increase Moroccan citizens’ community and nonprofit participation.

Keywords: New media; Public affairs; Civic engagement; Democracy; Freedom

DOI: 10.24193/jmr.29.1

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