A Review of Research on Civic Technology: Definitions, Theories, History and Insights

TL;DR

This paper reviews 224 studies on civic technology, discussing its definitions, theories, history, and social aspects, aiming to guide future citizen-centered civic tech development.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive synthesis of civic tech research, highlighting key concepts, social processes, and participation mechanisms to inform future efforts.

Findings

Civic tech research spans multiple disciplines including CSCW and HCI.

The review identifies gaps in citizen participation mechanisms.

Historical analysis shows evolving technological tools in civic engagement.

Abstract

There have been initiatives that take advantage of information and communication technologies to serve civic purposes, referred to as civic technologies (Civic Tech). In this paper, we present a review of 224 papers from the ACM Digital Library focusing on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Human-Computer Interaction, the key fields supporting the building of Civic Tech. Through this review, we discuss the concepts, theories and history of civic tech research and provide insights on the technological tools, social processes and participation mechanisms involved. Our work seeks to direct future civic tech efforts to the phase of by the citizens.