When All That Is Solid Melts into Twitter. A Study of the Social Movement #yosoy132 (Mexico 2012)

Abstract

Started in 2010, a wave of protests went through different regions of the world including countries in the Middle East and North Africa (the “Arab Spring”), Spain (“Indignados”), United States (“Occupy Wall Street”) and Mexico (“#yosoy132”), to name a few. These revolts were launched by specific reasons, in different contexts. But they share in common that have been leaded by younger segments of the population, intensive users of digital media, while opened a debate on the role played by new technologies: to what extent the digital media influence the outbreak of a revolt and facilitate the formation of a social movement? Are digital media determinants or their role is overrated? Analyzing the Mexican experience of the movement #yosoy132, this paper proposes that, first, given a basic level of Internet diffusion, the influence of digital media (determining or instrumental) will be mediated by factors such as the political regime (democratic or authoritarian), the media system (open or closed) and the existence and features of civil society organizations (hierarchical or networked) supporting the protest. Second, while digital media can, in certain contexts, be decisive in launching a protest, his role will be only instrumental in consolidating a social movement.