The Digital Public Sphere: An Alternative and Counterhegemonic Space? The Case of Spain

Authors

  • Víctor Sampedro University Rey Juan Carlos
  • Mayra Martínez Avidad University Camilo José Cela

Keywords:

digital public sphere, alternative public sphere, counter-hegemonic cyber-democracy, citizen participation, digital networks

Abstract

A historical view of social mobilizations coordinated by digital technologies shows the emergence of an alternative digital public sphere (DPS) in Spain, which has subsequently proven to be counterhegemonic. During the past decade, the DPS promoted alternative discourses to those of the official public sphere. The Indignados mobilizations in 2011 (15-M) has been the product of a long-term process of building a DPS that proved to be influential at three levels: (1) reframing the public debate, (2) expressing a nonofficial public opinion consensus, and (3) changing the electoral map. The Spanish DPS had been a key resource for subaltern publics since the 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid, Spain, when citizens, using their mobile phones and the Net, claimed that the bombings were a consequence of the country’s involvement in the Iraq War. That early digitally organized mobilization meant the collapse of the political-communication system. Later, the 15-M in 2011 expressed a widespread new public opinion consensus. Gradually, the DPS allowed the bipartisan system to break into a multiparty system and to contest previous political hegemony.

Author Biographies

Víctor Sampedro, University Rey Juan Carlos

Victor Sampedro is Associate Professor at the URJC in Madrid. He is focused on the theory of public sphere and the role of social movements and ICT, in policy and media agenda-building. His background in Communication, Sociology and Political Sciences led him to lecture and publish in these areas.

Mayra Martínez Avidad, University Camilo José Cela

Mayra Martínez Avidad, PhD, is associate professor of sociology and mass media and technologies, at University Camilo José Cela of Madrid (UCJC), Spain. She joined UCJC after two years as a visiting reasearcher in the Department of Communication, at University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Her research interest includes the influence of alternitive comunication networks in the constuction of social reality and ICT for social change and citizen empowerment.

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Published

2018-01-02

Issue

Vol. 12 (2018)

Section

Articles

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