Podemos and the politics of technology

Abstract

Podemos has made a notable impact by introducing new technological tools into politics. Although Podemos has not been the first or sole actor to try out most of the software that has become widespread and normal over recent months, the quantitative leap in participation levels and size of their user communities also has qualitative effect: new technologies are no longer the 'modern' mask of old structures, but part of the scaffolding for the new. Without streaming, La Tuerka would never have been possible. Without social networks, a community would not have developed around Pablo Iglesias’ appearances on television. Without Appgree or Agora Voting, the Assembly in Vistalegre would have been nothing more than the few thousand participants and some traditional media coverage. To 'break the lock' of communities and traditional consensus, to create Podemos’ space and verify its initial hypothesis, these technologies have been key elements. After breaking through the glass ceiling, however, the challenges of the second screen start to emerge.