<nettime> Social media and mass mobilization in Chile's presidential election

[Felix Stalder <felix@openflows.com>]

Hi everyone,

I'm sure many have followed the election in Chile. It was historic. Not 
"just" because it means the writing of the new constitution will 
continue which will have the potential to re-draw the political map 
(finally stepping out of the long shadow of Pinochet) and the dynamics 
unfolding on it. But also because Boric, from what I understand, really 
is a candidate of social movements, coming out of a decade of student 
struggles and 3 years of popular protests against neoliberal austerity. 
It is a testimony to the depth of these struggles that they survived the 
pandemic as an active social force.

Being a social movement candidate, the mobilization of many different 
groups as active players in the campaign played a large role, and this 
mobilization was largely done over social media, with videos, hashtags, 
and memes. This is not to suggest that Boric is a social media 
candidate, he clearly is one of social movements, but it is still 
helpful to counter the somewhat self-defeating attitude that social 
media amplify only "fake news" and the far right.

These are, of course, hugely problematic companies, but I think it's 
better to say that social media amplify social energy and for the last 
couple of years, particularly in the US and Europe, the right was far 
more energetic than the left.

What this election seems to indicate -- similar to the Corbyn Campaign 
in the UK and the municipalism in Spain -- is that positive (in the 
sense of having a vision, rather than just an enemy) social energy is 
built in a hybrid way, that large social mobilization are necessary for 
creating an understanding of a collective situation, but the social 
media campaigns can enable a new articulation of the way on which large 
numbers of people are embedded in the political process as 
self-articulating actors, rather than just spectators or "rank-and-file".

But I'm sure there are people who are much closer to the events in Chile 
and who can speak with more knowledge about the mobilization during this 
campaign. I would be curious to hear from you.

Felix





https://www.democracynow.org/2021/12/21/chilean_activists_on_gabriel_boric

Javiera Manzi, an activist with Chile’s largest feminist advocacy group. 
It’s known as the Coordinadora Feminista 8M, March 8th, International 
Women’s Day.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And could you talk about the coalition Boric is a part 
of, the “I Approve Dignity” coalition, what political movements are 
represented within it, and the importance the student movement in 
propelling volunteers and activists for that coalition?

JAVIERA MANZI: Yes. Apruebo Dignidad is a platform, a left platform, a 
very diverse platform, as well, that has a progressive agenda. And, for 
us, it’s important to say that it’s not only their victory. It’s a 
victory of people who never went to vote before. You see, this is the 
election with the most votation since the vote is voluntary here in 
Chile. And even though we can see the diversity there, and we can see, 
of course, the extent of the — and the diversity of different social 
movements even in Apruebo Dignidad but also outside the Apruebo 
Dignidad, that in a unity made possible this victory. For us, it’s very 
important to say that this is a victory of a way of a radical tenderness 
of the people and the aim of a radical transformation, and that feminism 
as well as environmental movements are in the — we are working towards 
that justice, social justice and social transformation.



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