===Definition===
The word 'Participation' itself is simply the act of taking part or being involved in something however when relating participation to the information society there arises '...questions of power, profit, and participation: who controls the information society, who benefits from it, who takes part in it?' (MISA, 2005, World summit on the Information Society)
===Participation within the Information Society===
In everyday participation the first three steps in the model below are expected and not significant however within the information society greater degrees of involvement in such as decision making are available to individuals so that they are able to influence information this is significance as ability to cause change attracts greater levels of participation.
====Public Participation Lader====
6) Public Participation in Final decision
5) Public Participation in assessing risks and recommending solutions
4) Public Participation in Defining interests, actors and determining agenda.
3) Public Right to object
2) Informing the public
1) Public Right to know
(Weidemann and Femers, 1993 in Kingston, 1998, Web Based GIS for Public Participation Decision Making in the UK)
====Pro====
Many forums provided by the information society where an individual can be 'faceless' allow individuals to express their ideas and views freely without inhibitions. This is very positive as communication technologies may '...generate a new public sphere supporting interaction, debate, new forms of democracy and cyber cultures which feed back to support a renaissance in the social and cultural life...' (Graham, 1996, p.2 in Kingston, R.(1998) Web Based GIS for Public Participation Decision Making in the UK)
====Con====
The biggest barrier to public participation in the information society is a lack of access to communication technologies to various groups due to socio-economic or technological ability factors.
===Things Affecting Participation===
===References===
Kingston, R.(1998) Web Based GIS for Public Participation Decision Making in the UK, England: University of Leads, http://www.ncgia.ucsb.edu/varenius/ppgis/papers/kingston/kingston.html, accessed on 27/10/05
Media Institute of South Africa (2005) World Summit on the Information Society, http://www.misa.org/broadcasting/wsis.html, accessed on 27/10/05
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Kristin Huddleston 01:10, 28 Oct 2005 (EST)
