The world has adapted to the methodology and forms of communication of social networks, and politics was not left out. The ease of wanting to convey any topic and have it reach a global audience in a matter of seconds has been a reality for many years.
The new communication
Contemporary philosopher Byung Chul Han, in his work *Infocracy*, made it clear that the enormous, incessant flow of data is seriously affecting both the quality and the truth of information. Nowadays, the new culture is based on immediacy and the massification of messages.
At the same time, there is a complex competition to capture the user's attention, which generates the need to simplify the message as much as possible (TikTok, Instagram reels, and the few characters on X are the most visible examples). Brevity and superficiality are the rule of the present. Alongside this, the ephemerality of ideas and trends is part of the logic of networks.
However, the greatest problem users must face is fake news. The rapid viralization that characterizes impactful news, often without verifying whether it is real or not, results in many contents uploaded and reproduced on social networks being false.
“Digital tribes” and politics
When a user looks for content and expresses their approval with a like, the algorithm of social networks takes that into account and continues to show them material of the same style. Thus, a segmentation of the audience based on interests and beliefs in their digital environment is produced, termed “digital tribes.”
In relation to politics, digital tribes further drive polarization, as they reinforce the homogeneity of their own opinions and worldviews, thus limiting the opportunity to listen to and read different perspectives. New times have brought new forms of political debate and discourse.
Both political parties and politicians themselves have begun to pay increasing attention to social networks, especially during electoral processes.
In the Argentine case, the presidential elections of 2015 marked the “great leap” that national politics took in the use of new communication technologies.
The face to face behind the screen
Social networks have become public (and political) arenas for discussions of all kinds, but the current battlefield par excellence is Elon Musk's social network, X. Argentine politics began to witness great battles on Twitter, and examples abound: Macri and Cristina have engaged in unforgettable Twitter confrontations, the successive “Fin” from current Presidential Spokesperson Adorni, and not to mention the very active X account of President Milei, which has always made headlines with controversial responses or posts, even before he took office.
Last week, we witnessed yet another instance of a heated political debate version behind the screens, this time between Milei and CFK, unleashing a digital melee among the followers of both politicians regarding the current state of the country, nine months after the new government took office.
Should we get used to these digital “confrontations” by the people who define the future of our country? Probably.
- Martin Cristo
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