Mapping Twenty Years of Digital Empowerment in Romania: Limits and Challenges

Abstract

The quick process of digitalization has proven to be a significant component in the structural transformation of the local public space during the last two decades, notably after Romania’s accession to the European Union. This has been the case notably since the advent of social media applications. Significant societal shifts have occurred because of recent developments in Internet access and mobile broadband usage, as well as in the technological architecture of communication networks. These advancements, along with a paradigm change in communication that alters the conventional notion of political and media communication, have also contributed to these societal shifts. The democratization of access to information as well as the means of information production has been accompanied by changes in the function of civic associations as well as the emergence of new kinds of digital activism, opening new opportunities for democratic engagement. Moreover, the elimination of exclusionary effects produced by the digital divide, and the promotion of digital literacy as a method of resolving major concerns linked to the social and political functions of digital communication and as a means of encouraging the development of growth-enhancing elements in the networked information economy are the main sources of challenges that Romania is currently facing. Our study provides a map of the difficulties associated with adjusting to global trends and the impact of social media on Romanian politics and society in general, as identified by the studies that were selected; however, it does not critically consider the empirical approach and results that were obtained by those studies.

Keywords

• online media consumption
• engaged citizens
• online collective identities
• digitalization of journalism practices
• digital guerrilla
• romania