Italy’s “Five Stars” movement and the role of a leader: : Or, how charismatic power can resurface through the web

• Autores: Andrea Miconi
• Localización: New Media and Society, ISSN-e 1461-7315, Vol. 17, Nº. 7, 2015, págs. 1043-1058
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • By focusing on the case of the Italian political movement “Five Stars”, founded in 2009 by former comedian Beppe Grillo, this article will analyze the resurfacing of a particular kind of power – charismatic authority – through a platform such as Web 2.0 that was expected to promote more rational consensus strategies. Although the political action of the Five Stars movement pretends to be inspired by a participative culture, it is in fact directly ruled by the founder via his blog, with a little space allowed for discussions. In this sense, the rise of Grillo as a political leader seems to both retrieve and renew an old form of authority grounded in a very traditional legitimacy – the charismatic and undisputed leadership of the boss – while at the same time being able to spread through the network. This article will offer an overview of events and also provide a theoretical interpretation