Introduction to the dilemmas and struggles of participatory society

Abstract

Multiple authors have already warned about the disadvantages that arise in participatory society due to the peculiarities and traits of online scenarios: Van Alstyne and Brynjolfsson proposed the term ‘cyberbalkanization’ to describe the fragmentation of the internet into special interest groups. One of the most representative and recent examples of the dark side of participatory society was the attack on the US Capitol at the beginning of January 2021. For that reason, when polarized ideological ghettos magnify information disorders and reinforce outrageous behaviors, like the assault on the US Capitol, it is essential to start counterattacking the falsehood, combating hate speech and breaking up social segregation and political fragmentation. Aiming to contribute to the accumulative knowledge about stereotypes and distorted images disseminated by mass media, Cristina Algaba, Beatriz Tome-Alonso and Giulia Cimini attempt to study the representation of the Muslim world in prime-time TV series broadcast in Spain, a country with a long-established Muslim population and a strategic migratory destination.