New Avenues of Participation: Digital Spaces and
Democratic Participation
In Jordan, internet use among young people (18-29) has surged from 11.7% to
87% since 20071. This digital expansion has created new avenues for democratic
participation, particularly for young women who have often been excluded from
public discourse due to social and structural barriers. Young people in Jordan
exhibit low levels of democratic participation, which is defined as the active
involvement of individuals in decision-making processes that affect their lives,
such as voting, engaging in public debates, and influencing others. Fewer than
half of young Jordanians trust public institutions, and voter turnout among youth
is significantly lower than that of older citizens2. Representation in state
institutions is minimal, with a 42% gap in parliamentary representation3 and the
vast majority of youth express disinterest in politics4. While some young people
engage in civic activities, such as volunteering and community action, this
involvement is often individual and disconnected from organized movements or
formal decision-making processes5.
The virtual space can serve as an alternative for young people to engage with likeminded individuals and discuss their opinions, without feeling the pressure of
exposure they feel in the physical space. Moreover, traditional forms of
participation have become less favourable among young people, which could be
attributed to the aforementioned lack of trust in formal pathways of participation6.
According to the 8th wave of the Arab Barometer (2023-2024), 80.4% of people
aged between 18-30 spend 5 hours or more per day on social media7. In addition,
60% of young people use social media as their primary source of information8.
Studies of young people in Jordan reveal a positive link between social media use
and increased political participation, democratic expression, and a stronger sense
of citizenship9. This correlation can be attributed to greater exposure to political
1
Arab Barometer, Data Analysis Tool. https://www.arabbarometer.org/survey-data/data-analysis-tool/
2
OECD, Empowering Youth and Building Trust in Jordan, OECD Public Governance Reviews (OECD, 2021),
https://doi.org/10.1787/8b14d38f-en.
3
OECD, Empowering Youth and Building Trust in Jordan.
4
Mohammad Aburumman and Walid Alkhatib, Youth in Jordan, FES MENA Youth Study: Result Analysis (Freidrich-EbertStiftung, 2023), https://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/amman/20346.pdf.
5
Aburumman and Alkhatib, Youth in Jordan.
6
Marat Zagidullin et al., “Government Policies and Attitudes to Social Media Use among Users in Turkey: The Role of
Awareness of Policies, Political Involvement, Online Trust, and Party Identification,” Technology in Society 67 (November
2021): 101708, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101708.
7
Arab Barometer, Arab Barometer Wave VIII, September 2023, https://www.arabbarometer.org/surveys/arabbarometer-wave-viii/.
8
Arab Barometer, Arab Barometer Wave VIII.
9
Center for Strategic Studies, Strengthening Civil Society Organizations in Jordan Towards Better Influencing on the
Democratization Process (2021), https://jcss.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Political-Participation-and-Promotionof-Democracy-Role-of-Civil-Society-Organizations-in-Jordan-Quantitative-Report-Qararuna.pdf; Abdelsalam M. Alodat et
al., “Social Media Platforms and Political Participation: A Study of Jordanian Youth Engagement,” Social Sciences 12, no. 7
(2023): 402, https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12070402; Othman Tahat et al., “Effect of Social Media on Political
4