Textual & Visual Media 8, 2015 [107-126] Reconocimiento de autoritas y participación democrática en las redes 1 Auctoritas recognition and political participation in digital social media

Abstract

This paper analyze the hypothesis about a paradigm shift from a society of mass culture to a digital culture. In it we estudy academic literature and statistical sources from the  relational critical phenomenology perspective. Social media are a tool to engage remote face-to-face relationships and to exercise personally social functions without mediation that would not be possible. At that limitless «agora», vertical relationships are arised in the horizontal and egalitarian social media process, users distinguish between authoritative and insolvent opinion, they recognize the social authority and they opt for one or another opinion leaders. Social media publicize all voices simultaneously without distinction and join with traditional media keeping entertainment culture. This relational power has facilitated the use of Internet to call activities, encourage activism, agitation and citizen participation.