Latin American Struggles| Twitterati as Instruments of Change? Reappropriating Social Media for Dialogue and Action via El Salvador’s Citizen Debate Site Política Stereo

Abstract

This ethnographic study of El Salvador’s social media citizen debate site Política Stereo explores whether and how the site used online social media to prompt citizen debate, participation, and action. The analysis investigates whether Política Stereo encouraged citizen participation in technology and through technology. Política Stereo served as a digital counter public sphere, encouraging debate and action by emphasizing dialogue among users with opposing viewpoints. Its experience suggests online debate can translate into off-line action. Further, this study indicates the emergence of a Salvadoran Twitterati and a social media divide with implications for activism in digitally divided countries.