デジタルメディア時代のデモクラシー(<特集>現代のメディアとネットワークにおける政治参加)

抄録

This article discusses the changes in Japanese politics in the age of the Internet, especially in this age of social media. From my point of view I can say that three major changes have been occurring with the spread of the use of social media in these days. The first is that Japanese people are starting to talk, or type, about politics in the new "public sphere" in the Internet and so are building up another type of public opinion. We call it in Japanese netto-yoron ("Internet public opinion"), which both politicians and the mass media cannot avoid taking into account. The second change is that politicians, parties, and candidates have been empowered by social media. Japanese politicians have succeeded in creating or developing new ways of using social media, attacking articles or coverage by the mass media in order that the politicians can influence the mass media. This may change the Japanese politics as well. The third change concerns the Japanese mass media, which is attacked both by politicians using social media and by netto-yoron. This will be a major change in terms of political communication in Japan.