Thirteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

This research analyzes the role of the Internet in modern politics in order to establish its transformative potential for, on the one hand, new democracies, and, on the other hand, well-established democracies that have recently experienced political crises. This research is based on two case studies, namely, Tunisia and Iceland. The first country is the only positive example of a democratic transformation among the countries that have witnessed the Arab Spring uprisings. Given Tunisia’s unique experience, the researcher will assess the role of the Internet in the stages of democratic consolidation in order to determine the effects of the new media on the transformational capacity of Tunisian politics. Through a mixed method approach, this study provides important findings related to the future outcomes of the democratic transitions such as the case of Tunisia, which has set a precedent in MENA region; but also to transformations of well-established democracies as in the case of Iceland. Ultimately, tit will become part of a broader study of online democracy worldwide. The importance of this study is thus multifold and the research is especially needed given the shortage of literature on the subject. These issues are all the more important as recent research highlights the negative impact of social media on political transitions by escalating polarization, fear, and uncompromising attitudes (Lynch 2015), or simply their limited scope to the cause (Khatib 2016, 123). The questions remain open and this paper aims at filling in the research gap.