Internet and politics: political and social consequences of the digital revolution

Abstract

The success of the internet as a new communication platform has led to a profound political and social transformation. The goal of this article is to offer an analysis of these consequences, using as a common thread what I see as the main transformation of the digital revolution: a radical drop in the entry costs associated with mass broadcasting. In contrast with the initial optimism about the democratization of the public sphere in the internet era and the current concern about the negative effects of social media, my argument is that these consequences are not universally positive or negative. In my analysis, I focus on three core aspects of the digital revolution: the potential polarization resulting from the social consumption of political information through the internet, the use of technological tools for the coordination of social movements, and the effects of using social media platforms on the quality of representative democracy and public policies.