The Political Web Media, Participation and Alternative Democracy
As democracy encounters difficulties, many citizens are turning to the domain of alternative politics and, in so doing, making considerable use of the new communication technologies. This volume analyses the various factors that shape such participation,
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Democracy, Participation, and Media Connections
Democracy: Discontent and resurgence Troubling trends That democracy is facing an array of very serious dilemmas has become an established and engaging theme within research and public discussions in the past two decades; foundations are earmarking ever greater sums to study the issues, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are trying to tackle them in diverse ways, journalistic pundits analyse the difficulties, while political parties and governments are obviously troubled. Though the concept of ‘democracy’ is routinely invoked, at times almost as an incantation, we must keep in mind that the term itself is contested among theorists, who offer a range of ideal models (Held, 2006). Not least on the Left, there is a diversity of visions of its future (see, for example, Agamben et al., 2011). Also, and significantly, actual manifestations of democracy in the world today vary considerably; there is no universal template, even if most would argue that there are a number of essential features to be included and criteria that must be fulfilled. Within Europe and the EU we find noteworthy differences and even tensions in regard to political traditions, notions of citizenship, assumptions about openness and access, conceptions of what constitutes civil society, and so on. At the same time, with the traditional nationalist frame for politics being problematised by globalised forces and regional structures, most notably that of the EU (with all its compounded dilemmas of distance between citizens and decision-making), this model is becoming increasingly problematic. This has been particularly evident in Greece, Spain, and Portugal, where governments carrying out EU austerity measures have evoked large-scale confrontations. 9
10.1057/9781137326386.0005 - Democracy, Participation, and Media Connections, Peter Dahlgren
Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to National Sun Yat-sen University - PalgraveConnect - 2014-08-16
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Politics and Participation on the Web
The problem was also glaringly illustrated by the elections in Italy in late February 2013, where a politically resurrected Silvio Berlusconi won approximately 30 percent of the seats in the bicameral parliament, and Beppe Grillo, the country’s most famous political comic, who had turned to electoral politics, gained 25 percent. Among the planks on Grillo’s very mixed protest platform was a call for a referendum on whether Italy should abandon the euro and default on its debts; the anti-corruption theme was also strong. Mario Monti, head of the socalled tec
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