Is There Room for Connective Democracy Within the Discussions About a New Constitution on Social Media? The Case of Chile in the Months Leading Up to the 2020 Plebiscite

Abstract

In October 2019, widespread protests began in Chile after the government announced an increase in transport fare, which gave way to several social demands. A month later, politicians from different sectors reached an understanding that would open the possibility of writing a new Constitution. Two clear sides emerged: those in favor (Approve) and those against (Reject) the new constitutional project, which would be voted on in a plebiscite in October 2020. In this article, we examine the extent to which this period in Chile involved feelings of dislike or even hatred toward those who think differently, a key element of affective polarization, an increasing phenomenon that sparked the emergence of the concept of connective democracy. The study focuses on the reactions on X/Twitter and YouTube to four TV programs ( Tolerancia cero , Pauta libre , A esta hora se improvisa , and Estado nacional ) that broadcasted political discussions in the months before the 2020 plebiscite. Our methodology is a qualitative textual analysis, which shows that even though the comments include both negative outparty feelings and negative trait perceptions, as well as positive, informative, and hybrid comments, this does not drift them away from connective democracy. On the contrary, connective democracy still values this type of exchanges, as they allow us to reflect on how the quality and interactions of these connections can be improved.