Becoming a listening citizen. Long-form citizen journalism and the exercise of epistemic rights in the digital age

Abstract

Access to knowledge is a vital part of a functioning society; in a digital world, the quality of knowledge acquisition, in part, depends upon the conditions afforded by technological environments. In this context, claiming a right to effective knowledge processes has not been institutionally established, but should be explored. This study looks specifically at digital long-form citizen journalism (DLCJ), exploring the everyday practices of its users through the lens of epistemic rights. Using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis, it investigates the experiences and attitudes of users of the DLCJ platform, Substack. The study uses the epistemic virtues of attention and humility as analytical tools to uncover the extent to which epistemic rights are understood and negotiated in everyday use of DLCJ, exploring how the quality of civic participation is shaped. Findings suggest that DLCJ can support the exercise of epistemic rights, although unevenly. Otherwise, it is shaped by various factors such as platform design, users’ cognitive capacities, and broader social norms. Participants demonstrated a strong desire and awareness for attentive and humble knowledge practices, although they primarily understood these in relation to individual needs rather than as civic contributions that benefit society, leaving the democratic potential of epistemic rights, and the virtues that sustain them, under-realised.