No 50 (2022): A decade of changes in political communication.
This issue number 50 reflects a shared interest in the digital sphere, new phenomena of misinformation, and the fragmentation of information, as well as the rise of extreme or polarizing discourse. These are some of the issues that generate the most interest in contemporary political science because, in fact, they are the processes with the greatest capacity to influence the sociopolitical change we are witnessing.
Among the research articles included in this issue, Natalia Aruguete's work (CONICET and Universidad Nacional de Quilmes) suggests a clear relationship between online news sharing processes and the editorial decisions made by media regarding "newsworthiness" levels (gatekeeping). Raúl Magallón-Rosa, a professor at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, discusses the evolution of disinformation processes. However, Eugénie Richard, from the Universidad Externado de Colombia, proposes a possible revaluation of rational or argumentative narratives, in clear response to the health crisis scenario that the world has been experiencing since 2020. In contrast to the possible return of rational narratives, Gonzalo Sarasqueta (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona), Paula Garretón, Delfina Sanda (Universidad Católica de Argentina), and Bianca Leonangeli (Universidad Católica de Argentina) present an interesting case study on the communication of Trump and Biden on Instagram during the 2020 United States presidential elections.
In a pivotal moment for the future of Brazil, Emerson U. Cervi, a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Instituto Universitário de Pesquisas do Rio de Janeiro, explores the growth of extremist discourse in this country. This effort connects with our latest special issue, coordinated by Pedro Abellán and dedicated to the discourse of extremes. This article is of special interest at the current moment, in an October marked by Brazilian elections.
From the University of Guanajuato, Esmeralda Mandujano analyzes the existing conditions for generating effective messages in the digital environment. Following this thread, in our Consulting section, we have the participation of José Norte Sosa, a specialist in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.
Finally, we have the great pleasure of featuring Gustavo Palomares, Dean of the Faculty of Political Science and Sociology at UNED, in our Electoral Periscope. Palomares analyzes the current status of the November midterm elections in the United States. These elections have traditionally served to punish the party in the White House, but the November results may not turn out to be so unfavorable for the Democrats.