Chat groups as local civic infrastructure: A case study of “Solidary neighborhood help” Telegram groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany

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dc.contributor.authorPasitselska, Olga
dc.contributor.authorBuehling, Kilian
dc.contributor.authorGagrčin, Emilija
dc.date.accessioned2025-08-18T07:25:40Z
dc.date.available2025-08-18T07:25:40Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractMessaging groups are emerging as “meso-spaces”—digital environments that enable sustained dialogue and collective action through their distinct affordances. We examine how such spaces facilitate civic self-organization through their hybrid online/offline, public/private, and local/global dynamics and how they function as local civic infrastructure during times of crisis. Using a mixed-methods analytical approach, we examined 47 public Telegram groups from Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic. We identified a fundamental tension between political discussion and practical help in these spaces, resolvable through active horizontal participation (including norm negotiation and self-moderation), or strict vertical moderation. Additional challenges included a lack of access to vulnerable groups and limited outreach to local civil society actors, both of which hindered group activity and structural connections within local civic infrastructure. Despite these challenges, our study highlights the potential of local chat groups for self-organization, albeit primarily among privileged urban individuals. We discuss the implications for democratic theory and practice.
dc.identifier.citationPasitselska, O., Buehling, K., & Gagrčin, E. (2025). Chat groups as local civic infrastructure: A case study of “Solidary neighborhood help” Telegram groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. New Media & Society, 0(0), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251349426$
dc.identifier.citationPasitselska, O., Buehling, K., & Gagrčin, E. (2025). Chat groups as local civic infrastructure: A case study of “Solidary neighborhood help” Telegram groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany. New Media & Society, 0(0), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251349426$
dc.identifier.doi10.1177/14614448251349426
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251349426
dc.identifier.issn1461-4448, 1461-7315
dc.identifier.issn1461-4448
dc.identifier.issn1461-7315
dc.identifier.urihttps://www.weizenbaum-library.de/handle/id/941
dc.language.isoen
dc.rightsopen access
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectCivic participation
dc.subjectCOVID-19
dc.subjectlocal communication
dc.subjectmeso-spaces
dc.subjectneighborhood groups
dc.subjectTelegram
dc.titleChat groups as local civic infrastructure: A case study of “Solidary neighborhood help” Telegram groups during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
dc.typeArticle
dc.type.statuspublishedVersion
dcmi.typeText
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitleNew Media & Society
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.urlhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14614448251349426
local.researchgroupDynamiken der digitalen Mobilisierung
local.researchgroupDigitalisierung und transnationale Öffentlichkeit
local.researchtopicDigitale Märkte und Öffentlichkeiten auf Plattformen
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