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Social networks are considered one of the most important developments of the Internet. They are also seen as spaces for social movements in which the channels of information, debate, and participation merge. Using content analysis this article explores social media as an instrument to motivate political participation by citizens from ten countries. Based on the political action axes (Vedel, 2007), a content analysis is conducted to compare the following factors between two years (2010 and 2015): the type of open social networks used, the evolution of their use and potential to generate information, and deliberative and participative processes. The outcomes show that parliaments of the analyzed countries use social media tools to communicate their activities and news. However, they don't use them as a deliberative and participative scenario integrated into the political decision process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The article analyses how parliaments use social media through the study of the representative chambers of Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, United States, Spain, France, Italy, United Kingdom and Sweden. Methodology: Using a content analysis method developed in 2010, 2015 and 2017, the text presents the evolution and the paths of the social media use of the selected parliaments. Results and conclusions: Results show a progression in the informative parliamentary use of social media, but they highlight few advances in the creation of deliberative or participative arenas in social platforms. The paper identifies parliamentary actions oriented to integrate the changing media ecosystem, linked to social media, but the institutional intention is limited to the presence and the impact inside the media framework, more than in the promotion of the social media mediated participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]