The document analyzes the influence of the internet on political participation. It hypothesizes that due to its new features, the internet promotes citizens' political participation. It discusses how the internet has influenced individuals, collectives, and states in political phenomena. It has increased political knowledge for citizens and improved decision making processes. However, survey data shows that while most Spanish citizens use the internet daily, political uses are less frequent. The internet encourages political activities by increasing information availability and contact between people and organizations. It has also led political actors to adapt to the internet in faster and more efficient ways. In conclusion, greater political knowledge from the internet generally leads to greater participation, so politicians should consider this factor.

1. Aimed at the Interior Ministry of Spain
TECHNOLOGY PROGRESS
Current Influence of the internet on political participation
The aim of this research is to analyze the power of the Internet to promote
changes within the social groups attitude by boosting political participation. Therefore, we
will start with a hypothesis followed by a political theory, all of which is based on quality
data and outstanding research.
Patricia Molina Sánchez
amazona1102@gmail.com
Technology-Progress
@PatriRosel
molinapatricia
subealestrado.wordpress.com
patriciamolina

2. Current Influence of the internet on political participation. By Patricia Molina
TECHNOLOGY PROGRESS
Current Influence of the internet on political participation
Hypothesis
Due to its new features, the Internet promotes the political participation of the citizens.
Theory
We are facing a very powerful tool, the Internet, which day after day is driving to change
every aspect of our society and of course politics. As we will note in this theory, the power of the
Internet has managed to influence three of the main factors of the political phenomena. The
individual, the collective and the state.
It is important to note how the Internet is becoming a fundamental tool when it comes to politics,
given that in the last few years every single political campaign has resorted to the Internet in order
to achieve a greater efficiency when transmitting any message to the voters. Furthermore, it is a
means of easy access, used by more than half of the citizens because of its low cost and availability
24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Through the Internet the political knowledge of the citizens has increased, as it offers access to
new channels and diverse opinions that incite the reader to reflect and contrast different views.
On the other hand, the decision making process can improve thanks to the production of a wide
range of documents so the citizens can freely participate all together in the political debates, as
they are not subject to the “pressure groups” who always try to influence the decisions of the
crowd in their favor.
After regarding at the results of the CIS [ Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas (Center for
Sociologic research)] survey, we observe that its data reveals that:
- The Internet is an everyday mean for more than the 50% of the Spanish population;
- Once the most frequent activities developed went online, they acquired a communicative,
recreational and commercial nature;
- The political uses of the Internet however, are much les frequent. 45% of the net users have
looked up current issues while less than the 20% have gone to the web for some political party.
32% have received an email with political content.
The use of the Internet has a positive side on the participation, regardless of people’s interests in

3. politics, the users with skills for the networks do not need motivation or interest in politics or to
contribute –unless in an online activity- since they constantly receive a
Current Influence of the internet on political participation. By Patricia Molina
stimulus of political participation or follow unconsciously the publications of political interest that
supporters can express through the use of Twitter or Facebook friends, etc.
The most critical citizens reject the traditional and hierarchical ways of participation and
prefer horizontal activities that implies low intake and removal costs. In this scenario, it is
remarkable for the use of internet to offer an alternative way of carrying through political
activities beyond the traditional institutions and, therefore, to make use of new instruments.
Firstly, some of the internet characteristics encourage certain activities, since through the
network, anyone can access and increase the availability of information on particular issues of
interest. At the same time, the internet is able to make contact with other people or even
organisations without the physical and temporal limitations of ‘the offline world’.Thus, this feature
promotes mobilization towards any specific topic. Moreover, horizontal online exchanges
contribute to enhance a major autonomy for those citizens who intend to get mobilized and
organised, so further more, it would promote the implication of individuals and groups from
outside the majority political system.
Secondly, those Internet features mentioned above have also contributed to the adaptation of
certain [political] actors to the web, in a faster and more efficient way. With respect to social
movements, we refer to the pioneers/front-runners in making use of the new technologies as
compared to the political parties and institutions of the representative democracy.
Conclusion
It is a matter of fact that thanks to the internet, the citizens are better and more informed at
all levels, and the wider the knowledge the greater the participation. This has always been the
desirable situation since someone’s decision-making process is likely to be freer if they are handed
more information. Our politicians should take this factor very seriously when they try to promote
themselves or organize electoral campaigns. Furthermore, they must take into account that the
Internet is, on one hand a vehicle for transmitting knowledge and information to the citizen in a
vertical way, from the parties to the crowds; and on the other hand, the citizens use makes this, in
a horizontal way, a means for transmitting the information between themselves thanks to the
social networks, groups organization, etc.
References
• Routledge Handbook of Internet Politics. Edited by Andrew Chadwick &
Philip N. Howard.
• La política en la era de internet. By Ramon Cotarelo; Ed.Tirant lo Blanch.
Current Influence of the internet on political participation. By Patricia Molina

4. • Revista Arbor del CSIC.
Current Influence of the internet on political participation. By Patricia Molina
• Journalist Resource; Birds of a Feather Tweet Together: Integrating Network and
Content Analyses to Examine Cross-Ideology Exposure on Twitter.
• academia.edu. Online Political Participation: Slacktivism or Efficiency Increased
Activism?.
• The Guardian Activate: London 2013. How is the internet changing political
participation? - video.
• Political activities on the Internet: Slacktivism or political participation by
other means? By Henrik Serup Christensen.
• El kit de la lucha en Internet. By Margarita Padilla