Casual Democracy: News, Participation, and Deliberation in Local Communities Dominated by Social Media

This open access book asks how the retreat of local journalism and the advance of social media platforms reshapes democracy at the grassroots level. It presents a unique ethnographic exploration of two distinct communities—Frederiksberg in Denmark and Ringwood in England—and introduces the concept of "casual democracy" as a provocative new way to think about the fluid, informal, and often unpredictable nature of local public spheres increasingly dominated by platforms like Facebook. Through immersive fieldwork and insightful analysis, the book examines how these communities navigate the ethical, epistemic and democratic norms of deliberation. At its heart, this book grapples with the vital consequences for democratic participation and deliberation when platforms redefine the public realm. Blending rigorous scholarship with engaging narrative storytelling, Casual Democracy is essential reading not just for academics, but for anyone concerned with the future of local democracy and the health of public discourse in the digital age.