Twitter as an instrument of participation and deliberation. An approach to its use from the perspective of cyber-democracy:

The case of Rafael Correa

Abstract

The management of social networks in political communication is incomplete if is limited to inform and increase followers. This article analyzes the use of social networks in the field of political communication as spaces for democratic participation and deliberation, which is what we call "cyber-democracy". It begins with the description of this concept followed by its application in the analysis of the Twitter account of Ecuadorian President, Rafael Correa (@mashirafael) in order to determine its potential on information and promotion of deliberation and participation. It is concluded that despite being one of the accounts with higher interaction is still limited its use in promoting participation and deliberation, which are key elements of the "cyber-democracy."