The crisis of political participation in the framework of traditional parties or other structured forms of association has been widely highlighted by sociological literature. For many authors, this trend could be reversed in the long term by the spread of new media, particularly web 2.0, whose interaction possibilities open up the chances for new grassroot experiences of political participation. An interesting case, in this way, is that of “Niki's factories” in the recent campaign for regional elections in Apulia (Italy). We will point out the imaginary statutes of participants, their activities and aggregation patterns. The main result shows that Niki‟s Factories do not fit into a democratic model. They do not increase the chances of people to influence public life, to decide on collective issues. They structurally favour an elite of professional and experts in techniques of persuasion to have primacy in political decisions: a tribal aggregation alien to democratic deliberation and debate, in which individuals come together around a charismatic leader.

Tribal web based political participation, The case of "Niki's Factories"

ROMANO, Onofrio
2010-01-01

Abstract

The crisis of political participation in the framework of traditional parties or other structured forms of association has been widely highlighted by sociological literature. For many authors, this trend could be reversed in the long term by the spread of new media, particularly web 2.0, whose interaction possibilities open up the chances for new grassroot experiences of political participation. An interesting case, in this way, is that of “Niki's factories” in the recent campaign for regional elections in Apulia (Italy). We will point out the imaginary statutes of participants, their activities and aggregation patterns. The main result shows that Niki‟s Factories do not fit into a democratic model. They do not increase the chances of people to influence public life, to decide on collective issues. They structurally favour an elite of professional and experts in techniques of persuasion to have primacy in political decisions: a tribal aggregation alien to democratic deliberation and debate, in which individuals come together around a charismatic leader.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11586/52256
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