The 15-M Movement and the New Media: A Case Study of How New Themes Were Introduced into Spanish Political Discourse

Abstract

The 15-M Movement, driven by mass mobilisations calling for the regeneration of the political system in May 2011, has had a profound impact on Spanish political discourse. This article analyses the changes in news production and distribution resulting from the example set by this social movement. The introduction of news using social media outside the boundaries established by the journalistic and political elites represents an innovative strategy to bring the movement's demands on to the mainstream media agenda, and to instigate monitoring processes.