Abstract
Las democracias representativas parecen estar en la actualidad ante tendencias divergentes. Por un lado, se dan síntomas de declive tales como el descenso generalizado del número de votantes en los días de eleciones o el creciente distanciamiento entre los políticos y los ciudadanos. Por otra parte, existen ocasiones en los que el público parece adquirir un creciente papel político como resultado de un nuevo escenario mediático que ofrece oportunidades para la participación política. Estas tendencias heterogéneas han llevado a interpretar de forma diferente la situación actual de la democracia: una que apunta a su declive y otra que señala los procesos de transformación democrática. Dos comprensiones opuestas de entender el presente que nos plantea el reto de preguntarnos por cual de los dos esta más cerca de esbozar un boceto arquitectónico certero de la democracia hoy. Este artículo trata de resolver esta cuestión prestando especial atención al papel que desempeña la nueva galaxia mediática en promocionar nuevas formas de participación ciudadana.
Highlights
Since classical Greek times, it has not been thought possible to separate the political freedom of citizens from the dimension of participation in public affairs
Citizens of a democracy are assumed to have the opportunity to take part in decision-making processes, which is why representation is established as a central mechanism for constituting political power
Expelling particular contestants from the most popular reality shows is becoming the only area for public freedom and decision-making. Observing these trends, which are undoubtedly occurring in one form or another, leads some thinkers to conclude that we are approaching a post-democratic era; an era taking giant strides away from past golden ages when representative democracy was more firmly rooted, more consolidated and grounded on solid pillars that would safeguard the democratic edifice against any potential earthquake that might threaten its stability
Summary
Since classical Greek times, it has not been thought possible to separate the political freedom of citizens from the dimension of participation in public affairs. Expelling particular contestants from the most popular reality shows is becoming the only area for public freedom and decision-making Observing these trends, which are undoubtedly occurring in one form or another, leads some thinkers to conclude that we are approaching a post-democratic era; an era taking giant strides away from past golden ages when representative democracy was more firmly rooted, more consolidated and grounded on solid pillars that would safeguard the democratic edifice against any potential earthquake that might threaten its stability. Feenstra – Democracy in the age ofnew media galaxy who consider that what is really changing is the way we understand democracy and the forms and possibilities of public participation For these two authors, who work separately and who offer us two new concepts for understanding modern democracy – monitory democracy and counter-democracy respectively – we are facing new challenges and opportunities for participation, in which new forms of communication, the birth and consolidation of the Internet, have played an essential role. I will attempt to resolve this question by paying particular attention to the role of the new media galaxy in promoting new forms of participation; a galaxy that may prove capable of shaking some of the basic foundations of democracy
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