An emerging conceptual model comparing the deliberative nature of online deliberation platforms

Online deliberation platforms which support deliberative engagement are characterised by great diversity, both with respect to the technology they use and the activities and functions they support. How do we make sense of the role of these platforms in supporting deliberative engagement? This chapter explores this question; we argue that the diversity we are confronted with by online communication requires us to rethink our understanding of deliberation. We offer a preliminary descriptive model of the elements of deliberation and apply this to an example of an online deliberation platform. We intend to offer a model that is useful in capturing the diversity of the field, remaining agnostic about particular operationalisations of deliberation, but allowing for greater clarity around the performance of these tools to allow for evaluation. In our discussion, we consider how our model might support evaluative conversations about the use of these tools and their implications for understanding the legitimacy of the wider deliberative process of which they are part.