Monitory democracy online: A case study of two Serbian civic initiatives

Abstract

The concept of monitory democracy, put forward by John Keane, is used to explain the post-representative phase of democracy. Monitory democracy reflects current democratic developments and the growing importance of oversight mechanisms that are developed within civil society spheres and state domains alike. Using this concept as a starting point, and by further situating it in the current political situation and transitional democracy, this paper provides case studies of two web-based monitory democracy actors in Serbia: whistle-blower website Pistaljka.rs and fact-checking website Istinomer.rs. With a reference to the analysis of the websites' content and interactive options, and interviews with editors of Pistaljka.rs and Istinomer.rs, the salient questions to be addressed are: How do the websites promote and facilitate citizen participation using the affordances of new media? How do they conceptualize their roles in relation to citizens, public authorities and mass media? What are the characteristics of monitory initiatives arising from a transitional, post-communist framework?