Media Coverage of a “Connective” Action: The Interaction Between the 15-M Movement and the Mass Media

Abstract

This article uses Twitter messages sent in May 2011 to study the ability of
the so-called 15-M movement, a “connective” movement, to place their
demands on the media agenda and maintain control over their own
discourse. The results show that the activists’ discourse included many
issues, although greatest attention was given to three: electoral and party
systems, democracy and governance, and civil liberties. Moreover, the
study reveals that the media covered all the movement’s issues and that
activists maintained their plural discourse throughout the protest. This
article contributes to the literature on ‘connective’ social movements,
showing that in certain circumstances these movements have the
capacity to determine media coverage.