Beyond the Internet

Beyond the Internet examines the technological dimension of the recent wave of protest movements in United Kingdom, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Ireland. Offering an opportunity to achieve a better understanding of the dynamics between society, politics and technology, this volume questions the essentialist attributes of the Internet that fuel the techno-centric discourse. The contributors illustrate how the Internet has helped empower these protest movements and link them all together however the internet has not had the power to overcome the extranet inequalities and democratic deficits that each country faced on its own terms. The realm of politics is undoubtedly changing, as citizens broaden their ideas of what political issues and participation mean. However, as the Internet offers vast new horizons, it does not necessarily change the way people think and act in regard to politics.

Rita Figueiras is a professor at the Faculty of Human Sciences at the Universidade Catolica Portuguesa and member of the board of directors of the Research Centre for Communication and Culture (CECC). Her work focuses on media and political communication, particularly in the areas of public opinion, pundits, electoral campaigns, and, more broadly, the relationship between the media and democracy. Paula do Espírito Santo is a professor at the School of Social and Political Sciences (ISCSP)-University of Lisbon (ULisboa) and School of Police Sciences and Internal Security (ISCPSI), Portugal, and is a visiting scholar at other universities. Her research focus is on political communication and political sociology, including the study of political culture, party supporters and social sciences methodology.

Introduction Rita Figueiras and Paula do Espírito Santo 1. Civic Cosmopolitanism and Political Communication: Media, Activism, and Agency Peter Dahlgren 2. Protest Camps as Media Stages: A Case Study of Activist Media Practices Across Three British Social Movements Anna Feigenbaum and Patrick McCurdy 3. Communication Strategies and New Political Movements in Spain Óscar G. Luengo and Javier G. Marín 4. From the Streets and the Occupied Squares to the Central Political Field: the narratives of the anti-austerity camp in Greece Nikos Sotirakopoupos and Olga Ntalaka 5. Social media and political participation: the Portuguese Indignados case João Carlos Correia 6. Unmasking the 'Quiet Man': Exploring Ireland's Quiescent Response to Economic Crisis and Austerity Gemma Carney and Katy Hayward Unplugging the Protest Movement Wave Rita Figueiras and Paula Espírito Santo