Media Coverage of a "Connective" Action: The Interaction Between the 15-M Movement and the Mass Media Articles uri icon

authors

  • CASAS, ANDREU
  • DAVESA, FERRAN
  • CONGOSTO MARTINEZ, MARIA LUZ

publication date

  • August 2016

start page

  • 73

end page

  • 94

issue

  • 155

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0210-5233

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1988-5903

abstract

  • This article uses Twitter messages sent in May 2011 to study the ability of the so-called 15-M movement, a "connective" movement, to place their demands on the media agenda and maintain control over their own discourse. The results show that the activists' discourse included many issues, although greatest attention was given to three: electoral and party systems, democracy and governance, and civil liberties. Moreover, the study reveals that the media covered all the movement's issues and that activists maintained their plural discourse throughout the protest. This article contributes to the literature on 'connective' social movements, showing that in certain circumstances these movements have the capacity to determine media coverage.

keywords

  • social comunication; mass media; social movements; social protest; social networks; collective action; protest events; selection bias; mobilization; organization; information; washington; spain