Communications patterns and power dynamics in the digital public sphere: A case study of the conversation about Minimum Living Income on Twitter

Patrones de comunicación y dinámicas de poder en la esfera pública digital: Un estudio de caso de la conversación sobre el Ingreso Mínimo Vital en Twitter

  • Laura Pérez Altable Pompeu Fabra University
  • Ana Serrano-Tellería University of Castilla La Mancha
Keywords: digital public sphere, Twitter, Minimum Living Income, power dynamics.

Abstract

In 2020, in the midst of the first wave of the pandemic, the Spanish Government approved the implementation of the Minimum Living Income, a non-contributory benefit under the Spanish social security system that guarantees a minimum income for those in need of one. Drawing on previous work of Stefania Vicari et al. (2018) about the use of political hashtag publics and counter-visuality on the Italian Twittersphere, we analysed patterns of communication among users on Twitter. Thus, this paper contributes to existing research on the deliberative process within the digital sphere, with a particular focus on power structures and communication patterns. Findings show that digital-born media, politicians and political parties play a central role in the discussion through mention and quoted tweets practices, but not in the production of new messages, while ordinary users are more likely to be retweeted. This would suggest a tendency towards retransmitting and disseminating content produced by ordinary users more than official sources.

 

Resumen

En 2020, durante la primera ola de la pandemia, el Gobierno español aprobó la puesta en marcha del Ingreso Mínimo Vital, una prestación no contributiva del sistema de seguridad social español que garantiza unos ingresos mínimos a quienes lo necesiten. Basado en el trabajo previo desarrollado por Stefania Vicari et al. (2018) sobre el uso público de hashtags políticos y la contravisualidad en la Twitteresfera italiana, este artículo analiza los patrones de comunicación entre los usuarios de Twitter. Así, este trabajo contribuye a la investigación existente sobre el proceso deliberativo dentro de la esfera digital, con un enfoque particular en las estructuras de poder y los patrones de comunicación. Los resultados muestran que los medios de comunicación nacidos en el ámbito digital, los políticos y los partidos políticos desempeñan un papel central en el debate a través de las prácticas de mención y citación de tuits, pero no en la producción de nuevos mensajes, mientras que los usuarios ordinarios son más propensos a ser retuiteados. Esto sugeriría una tendencia a la retransmisión y difusión de contenidos producidos por usuarios ordinarios más que por fuentes oficiales.

Palabras clave: esfera pública digital; Twitter; Ingreso Mínimo Vital; dinámica de poder.

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir.21-1.1

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Published
2021-07-30
How to Cite
Pérez Altable, L., & Serrano-Tellería, A. (2021). Communications patterns and power dynamics in the digital public sphere: A case study of the conversation about Minimum Living Income on Twitter. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 6(1), 1-15. Retrieved from https://pub.sinnergiak.org/esir/article/view/148
Section
Research articles