The Internet in the social mobilization: the conquest of the public sphere. The role of the Internet in the planning and development of the 15-M Movement

Abstract

The 15-M Movement in Spain arose from a protest organized via the Internet for the 15th of May 2011. The initial protest arose as a result, on one hand, of the impacts of the economic crisis, and on the other, as a show of the disenchantment felt by large segments of the population towards the political classes. The 15-M Movement can be framed in an increasing cycle of protest which has been augmented by this movement itself. The importance of the Internet in the 15-M Movement is apparent from the first announcement of the demonstration which began the movement and lent it its name. The call to action caused a large echo en the internet-based Social Media. The movement starts a battle to conquer its space on the public agenda. Trough a combined strategy of street demonstrations and online diffusion of the protests the movement forcefully burst onto the political and media agendas which had proven impervious to the first demonstration. The informative and counter-informative uses of the Internet are crucial to this achievement. The Internet served far more than other media as a space for debate, confrontation of ideas and opinions, and interpretation of a reality perceived to be unjust. A space in which individual outrage would be, little by little, shared until it generated a climate of support for demonstration and protest.