Digital Media, Contentious Politics and Party Systems in Italy and Spain

Abstract

In this contribution, we discuss the role of the digital public sphere in social and political mobilisations in Italy and Spain since the beginning of 2000. Both countries experienced the emergence of successful parties relying heavily on digital media, linked to previous social mobilisations and protest milieu. We highlight the changing role of digital media and their shifting function from facilitating protest cycles with limited impact on party politics to becoming a tool for challenging the established political actors. Our main questions concern the extent to which digital media allowed social movements to express grievances that were later incorporated into the electoral programmes of new political parties.

KEYWORDS:

• digital media
• Italy
• Spain
• Movimento 5 Stelle
• Podemos
• connective parties
• social movements

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Plan for Science Technology and Innovation [grant number CSO2013-48612-C2-1-P].

Notes on contributors

Víctor Sampedro

Víctor Sampedro teaches at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos (Madrid), and has researched on Spanish political communication, social movements and digital technologies since the mid-90s. Most of his publications are available at victorsampedro.com.

Lorenzo Mosca

Lorenzo Mosca is Associate Professor at the Scuola Normale Superiore (Florence site). He researches political communication, online politics, political participation, and social movements. Most of his publications are available at https://sns.academia.edu/LorenzoMosca. Email: [email protected]