Storytelling and Deliberative Play in the Oregon Citizens’ Assembly Online Pilot on Covid-19 Recovery

Bibliographic Data

ID7571308
AuthorsLaura W Black (0000-0001-8353-3758, Ohio University, corresponding author), Anna W Wolfe (Department of Communication, OH USA Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA), Soo-Hye Han (0000-0003-1359-2626, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA)
Year2023
Volume67
Issue8
Pages963-981
Publication date2023-07-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Behavioral Scientist (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-7642 • E-ISSN: 1552-3381
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/00027642221093591
PMID38603357
OpenAlexW4281386065
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited25

This article draws on the deliberative play framework to examine empirical examples of storytelling in an online deliberative forum: The Oregon Citizen Assembly (ORCA) Pilot on COVID-19 Recovery. ORCA engaged 36 citizens in deliberation about state policy through an online deliberative process spanning seven weeks. Drawing on literature on small stories in deliberation, we trace stories related to a policy proposal about paying parents to educate children at home. Our analysis demonstrates that storytelling activities accomplish aspects of deliberative play through introducing uncertainty, resisting premature closure, and promoting an “as if” frame that allows groups to explore the scope and implications of proposals. Forum design influences interaction and our analysis suggests that technology use and timing are key design features that can facilitate or inhibit deliberative play

Citizen journalism · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Deliberation · Deliberative democracy · Democracy · Narrative · Political science · Public relations · Scope (computer science) · Sociology · Storytelling · Computer Science · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Impact of Technology on Adolescents · Medicine · Psychology · Social Media and Politics

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