Digital Platforms for Participatory Politics as a Space for Dialogue Between Citizens and Public Representatives

Abstract Civic participation in the digital age has changed the dynamics of the internet, allowing users not only to consume information but also to contribute and collaborate in the creation of content. Online platforms for political participation aim to strengthen the quality of democracy and bridge the gap between institutions and citizens by facilitating dialogue with political representatives. The overall objective is to understand the dynamics of citizen participation in Spain through the digital platform Osoigo.com. The research adopts a quantitative approach, analysing interactions in order to identify patterns in communication, content, sentiment and the relationship between questions and answers. The scope is exploratory, addressing descriptive, correlative and inferential aspects through the use of data mining techniques and statistical analysis. The sample is purposively selected based on the popularity of the queries. The main findings show the diversity and plurality of the Spanish political landscape reflected on the platform, with gender inequality and a leftist bias among question recipients. The geographical distribution of questions suggests a general balance, with more attention given to public representatives at the national level, with the exception of right-wing politicians, who receive more regional questions. There is no statistically significant relationship between the sentiment of questions and answers, suggesting that politicians do not adapt their emotional tone to citizens but maintain a consistent emotional response pattern.