International Review of Sociology

Woke culture between platformisation, disinformation, and polarisation. Practices, problems and perspectives

The current fragmentation of the social and cultural system is a parallel process to the modern emergence of individualism which, in turn, has brought with it a restless search for personal and social identity. The easy enjoyment of many new means of communication (Lister et al., 2003) has made it possible to attribute to communication processes a strong penetration into everyday subjective experience and the images of the world that individuals possess and construct for themselves. At the same time, however, the fact that the media often represent the only source of information for individuals leads to a situation of dependence, especially with regard to the ideas and images that they can construct of reality, since, in this situation of pseudo-subordination, individuals have less power to select information than the power exercised by the media themselves (McCullagh, Campling, 2002). This is especially evident in platforms such as TikTok, by its demonstrated addictive nature (Pastis, 2024; Foreign Press Correspondents USA, 2024), especially in the case of young people and children, as it has been especially highlighted leading recently to discussions and legislative changes (Stur, 2024).

Over the last decades, the strong evolution of digitalisation and information technologies has favoured a relevant transformation of communication processes and in general of the ways and possibilities of accessing information. In fact, the new digital interaction channels are characterised by a direct and more immediate transmission than traditional media (Cotarelo, 2010; De Rosa, 2014) and undoubtedly social platforms play a crucial role, because they facilitate the instantaneous transmission of information and messages, they can promote enlarged and more interactive forms of participation by citizens, thus considerably affecting the socio-political and socio-cultural dimensions of representation and democratic space.

However, it is worth mentioning the risk posed by the practice of disintermediation when social platforms, at removing intermediaries from communication and transactions, make it possible to publish messages and interactions directly between citizens, increasing the flow of information and reducing the effectiveness of traditional gatekeepers, At the same time that there is an emergence of a citizen elite capable of managing and benefiting from these changes (Medero, 2020). This is both an advantage and a disadvantage, because while access to the information is democratized and empower citizens, it is also while democratizing access to them and interaction, it makes possible the propagation of hate, conspiracy theories, disinformation or the development of harassment or cancellation practices without control. The disintermediation is also a risk for democracies to be considered. Consequently, it can harm the development of diversity.

It poses risks to the integrity, quality, and functionality of democratic processes, amplified by algorithms, that drive to a polarized audience and bring risks to democracy (Gozzo et al., 2023). Additionally, disinformation campaigns threat Diversity, Pluralism and Social Justice, incorporating tactics that poison public debate and influence public opinion, challenging the pluralism essential for democratic deliberation (Cianci & Zecca, 2023).

The magnitude of these changes and their influence is undeniable, but this transformation does not exempt us from a critical reflection on the shadows caused in all dimensions of democracy, because the reality is much more composite/polyhedric and ambivalent. Its articulation goes beyond a binary scheme, as it combines socio-political, cultural and technological synergies. 

“Wokeism” (Phiri, 2023), also referred to as “woke culture,” has emerged in recent years as a system of social and political ideas oriented toward issues of social justice and inequality characterized by a focus on intersectionality. Adding to these characterizations is the fact that this sort of movement has awakened (more than awakened) worldwide interest and attention to promoting an attitude of greater empathy and understanding toward discrimination, minority rights, and social justice. Amongst these synergies, the controversial variable of the woke as a cultural phenomenon capable of determining asymmetrical, unequal and subordinate relationships within social relations and of generating new socio-cultural and socio-economic ‘narrative models’ through the rapid passage from support for the social justice claims of minorities and subcultures to the identity extremization of marginality, which results in a series of practices (e.g. cancel culture and several form of “washing”) favoured in particular by platforms and social networks that produce effects paradoxically opposite to the initial intentions.

Recent business initiatives in response to pressing social issues have, however, also attracted criticism from a wide range of audiences for being “woke” or engaging in “woke washing,” with both

terms used derogatorily. For some, the label “woke” is to be equated to other negative and stigmatizing labels associated with corporate misbehaviour, such as greenwashing or sweatshop labour (Marquis, Toffel & Zhou, 2016) or pinkwashing, but according to Warren (2022) the difference between all of these classifications lies in the underlying values associated with the label itself, and therefore those who argue that recent social initiatives implemented by companies are inconsistent with perceived corporate purpose generally use the phrase woke, while those who criticize these initiatives believing them to be inconsistent with perceived corporate values and practices use the expression woke washing, which could, however, create a stigma and foster boycotts and, thus, losses for the company.

The debate is therefore more topical than ever and is divided between the opposing positions of those who argue that the woke phenomenon aided by digital platforms and social networks has inverted power relations and created socio-cultural and socio-political spaces of ‘marginal democracies’ that have expanded the limits of contemporary political systems by incorporating voices subjects, identities and needs invisible for a long time, and conversely the views of those who argue that wokeism-related practices impose new value judgements that reduce the space for critique and expression and crystallise a new historical moment. Considering the importance and necessity of reflecting critically on the most recent trends taking place in our societies, the aim of this special issue is to explore through innovative reflections how the phenomenon of wokeness is influencing and transforming democratic space. In this sense, to ‘challenge’ the concept and practices of wokeness requires multidimensional and multidisciplinary interpretations ranging from narration, memory, different washing actions (Mangone & Picarella, 2024), fake news, cancel culture and its derivations such as hate speech. This proposal for a special issue therefore welcomes contributions from scholars at an international level who use qualitative and quantitative methodologies to analyse theoretical and empirical research with a sociological slant on the concept and practices of wokeness and focus on the theoretical understanding of the phenomenon through innovative conceptual approaches and arguments. Specifically, with an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary outlook, we welcome papers that focus on the various dimensions of this topics.