New political actors in Europe : Beppe Grillo and the M5S

Abstract

New social and political movements from radically different political positions have emerged across Europe using the Internet to challenge existing parties and structures. Beppe Grillo, the Italian comedian and blogger, is the most prominent figure to have embraced this change through the creation first of all of the ‘Friends of Beppe Grillo’ meet-up groups and then, in 2009, the Movimento Cinque Stelle (M5S - Five-Star Movement), What makes Grillo and the M5S especially interesting is how they combine online and offline activities both in their communications and mobilization strategies. Having detailed the history, structure and policies of the M5S, this report presents the results of a survey of 1,865 Facebook fans of Beppe Grillo and the Movimento 5 Stelle. It includes data on who they are, what they think, and what motivates them to shift from virtual to real-world activism. It finds them to be characterized by extremely low levels of trust in mainstream parties, parliament and traditional media.