Digital democracy? No, infocracy! The uses of social media by the Portuguese unions in the health sector

Abstract

Trade unions are facing a deep crisis since the 70s. The causes are multiple, including factors that are exogenous to the movement and others that are endogenous, referring to its bureaucratization. Aiming to revitalize, they have been implementing several actions, among which we may refer the adoption of ICT and the Internet. This article presents the preliminary results of a research on the adoption and uses of the Internet by the unions in the health sector in Portugal. It aimed to understand if they are allowing or not the deepening of organizational democracy, a crucial factor for the revitalization. We will conclude by stating that, given the static nature and the poor interactivity that characterize the official websites of these unions and the way the social media is used, the unions are losing an opportunity to the deepening of the democratic forms of associative government and therefore to strengthen themselves.