Oppositional public space and cyberactivism, a materialistic reading of connective action

Abstract

The Internet and social media are modifying the traditional media system and contributing to transformations in the public sphere, which require a broader conceptualization of the social mediation process. The omnipresence of the new information and communication technologies (NTICs) in emerging phenomena of political participation and digital activism shows the existence of a new information ecosystem, which makes the so-called “oppositional public space” possible (Negt, 2007). The new social movements, especially since 2011, have broken into the media arena, promoting processes of expression and emancipation, re-signifying the traditional spaces of collective action, hegemonic logic, and institutions of dominant social representation. This article proposes an approach from the Political Economy of Communication for the study of the new emerging forms of collective action, political participation, and digital activism. In addition, from a materialistic perspective, it contributes to understanding the scope and technopolitical nature of the new protest movements. It proposes a research agenda according to the context of the accumulation crisis that capitalism is experiencing today throughout the world.