Blogosphere and democracy in Portugal: the results of a web survey

Abstract

In this paper we present the results of a web survey regarding opinion and intervention bloggers in Portugal. The study has three main goals: (1) to characterize bloggers according to their social position, political activities, values and social orientations; (2) to analyse the relationship between online and offline participation, and how different types of participation relate to different values and beliefs; (3) finally, to discuss new dynamics within the public sphere and the impact of the internet on democracy. The results show that bloggers are socially quite homogeneous, combining online and offline activism, notwithstanding the diversity of their values. Four types of political action were found: residual, associative and protest, associative and party-member, and cumulative. Each one corresponds to a different set of values and beliefs. In the conclusion, the impact of the new media on public sphere renewal is discussed, in particular the opportunities that the internet creates for the expansion of democracy and the support it gives to socio-political autonomy and the construction of societal projects on individuals, with a special focus on collective action.