The Backsliding of Democracy and Social Networks

Abstract

Since the 2000s, in a number of countries a process of democratic erosion has been observed, which in some cases even culminates in the collapse of democracy. This process of erosion is characterized by the following evolutionary dynamics: the exacerbation of political polarization; the extension of a ruler's control over their own political party and branches of government; and legislative changes that weaken (and in some cases destroy) the legal and constitutional foundations of liberal democracy. Such evolutionary trends of institutional transformation are often brought about by the reinterpretation of formal institutions, a gradual change in their meaning and practice over time. The erosion of democracy is accompanied by its reinterpretation through populism. In a context of high political polarization, populism constructs the concept of "the people" from one polarized citizenry, in opposition to the other. According to the populist version of democracy, this constructed "people" might rule by excluding its enemies from politics. This interpretation of democracy replaces both its majoritarian and elitist versions and poses a challenge to the constitutional and liberal foundations of the state. This paper argues that the reason for the populist reinterpretation of democracy should be sought in the technological revolution which is changing not only the economy but also the fundamental structure of political communication. The article focuses on a structural innovation created by new technologies—the mediatization of political communication through social networks. The subject of the research is the invisible power relations that arise from the organization of communication, and not from its content.  In a public space mediatized by television and social networks, the structure of public opinion necessary for the proper functioning of the majoritarian and elitist versions of democracy can no longer be sustained. The fragmented, particularistic, affective, and polarized structure of public opinion presented on social networks promotes the equality of radically different interpretations of reality, which weakens the majority's claim to express the "right" opinion. Meso-level organizations that structured political and civic representation lose their functions, as the political sphere directly enters the space of social communication. The correspondence of the state to a given society becomes blurred, both because the economy and migration take on a globalized character, and because the public spaces of different countries are now integrated by the internet. All of this would be impossible without the technological revolution, which is changing every sphere of life. In an economy based on knowledge and information, a new structure of economic, social, and political relations is being created. Just as the industrial revolution once shook feudalism and contributed to the formation of capitalism and parliamentary government, the information revolution today is challenging the party democracy built on the 20th-century model, and even the territorial constitutional state itself. An analysis of the factors causing democratic backslash is essential to understanding the possible future of these processes. If the technological revolution dominates among such factors, what is needed is not the strengthening of existing formal institutions of democracy, but their innovative transformation.