The platform party

This paper focuses on a new type of party, the platform party or digital party, that is emerging in the digital age. Just as the mass party characterized the industrial age, the digital party reflects the predominant mode of production of a digital society. Its three main features are: 1) the use of digital media platforms, along with the development of in-house ‘participatory’ platforms for supporters, which leads to disintermediation, that is, not only to the elimination of intermediary levels existing in previous mass parties, but also to ‘re-intermediation’ through dependence on the platform; 2) a ‘hyper-base’, that is, the active base of supporters who are engaged in intense ‘participationism’ in the discussions and open decision-making on the platform; and 3) a ‘hyper-leader’, that is, a charismatic ‘presidentialist’ personality who enjoys significant power and leeway. This hyper-leader represents the organization in the media. In the long run, however, platform parties face the limitations of direct democracy and the challenges of institutionalization.