Online Communities and Crowds in the Rise of the Five Star Movement

The book explores the potential of citizen users to impact politics, emphasizing the need for normative and strong design efforts to prevent the generation of noisy, undemocratic crowds. It also highlights the Internet's potential to exploit the depiction of a democratizing Internet to sell crowds as deliberating publics.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 249 pages
Publication date: 08 August 2021
Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG

This book delves into the profound impact of citizen users on politics, shedding light on the inherent risks associated with assuming that mass online participation inherently democratizes the political landscape. By examining the case of Italy's Five Star Movement, the book argues that Internet participation, despite its potential for widespread engagement, is inherently unequal and requires thoughtful and deliberate design efforts to foster self-reflexive, norm-bound communities rather than noisy, undemocratic crowds. The portrayal of the Internet as a democratizing force can be readily exploited by those who manage these platforms, presenting crowds as deliberating publics for commercial gain. As the Internet becomes the primary medium for political engagement worldwide, it also emerges as a symbol of the systemic flaws within the existing political system. Internet users now possess unprecedented access to information and communication, resulting in a heightened sense of irrelevance towards the existing political system. This discrepancy highlights the urgent need for transformative interventions that empower citizens and promote a more inclusive and democratic digital realm.

Weight: 356g
Dimension: 210 x 148 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783030455101
Edition number: 1st ed. 2020