Democratic vision and online participatory spaces in the Italian Movimento 5 Stelle

Digital technologies have been considered as generating new opportunities to enhance democratic politics. However, political parties have generally been latecomers in appropriating digital media in their every day life. The case of the Italian Movimento 5 Stelle (M5S) represents an interesting example of innovative use of digital technologies in politics. Adopting a mixed-method research design, this article contrasts the democratic vision of the M5S with its online participatory platform. First, the discursive production of its leaders on democracy is analysed and complemented with an examination of a law proposal focusing on direct democracy. The core elements of the M5S’ democratic conception are identified in a criticism of representative democracy and the elaboration of a cyberutopian narrative. Second, the concrete realization of democratic ideals through online instruments of participation is taken into consideration. Sixty-five online ballots and 326 discussions of draft laws that took place on the Rousseau platform between 2012 and 2017 are critically inspected and discussed, singling out explanations of a continuing decline in participation over time.