From passive to active and back again?
How digital media has transformed the role of the citizen in news and political communication
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14195/2183-5462_48_9Palabras clave:
Political communication, Active audience, Digital journalism, Citizen engagement, Private turn, Platform societyResumen
This essay examines the evolving role of citizens in news and political communication, focusing on the transition from the “passive consumer” of the twentieth century to the “active participant” shaped by digital media logics. It analyses practices such as gatewatching and engaged journalism from journalism studies, and reflects on the impact of digitally mediated behaviours across a continuum of participation in political communication, which conceptualises en-gagement as an ongoing process rather than a fixed outcome. Through this lens, I consid-er how digital tools have enabled citizens to produce, circulate, and challenge political messages. Looking ahead, I investigate whether declining public-facing social media use signals a return to passivity. I argue that, rather than a regression, this trend represents a “private turn” with two dimensions: discursive engagement within private messaging applications and algorithmically curated content consumption on visual social platforms. Despite these shifts, I contend that the notion of the “passive citizen” is a myth. Although the visibility and scale of participatory spaces may change over time, their persistence underscores the continued importance of digitally mediated citizen participation.
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