Always On, but Never There? Political Parody, the Carnivalesque and the Rise of the “Nectorate”

Global electorates are the most networked and technological astute in history, however many major recent political ballots have reported low turnouts. At the same time, user-generated political parody accounts abound on social media. Their sophistication, breadth of dissemination and the quality of the interactions they provoke, suggest a high level of engagement in (de)legitimizing spheres. This chapter argues that social media platforms offer new opportunities for enacting “carnivalesque” performances. Examining examples from Hungary and Iceland, we demonstrate how dominant political discourses (the sacred) are subverted through a process of parody (the profane), opening up new spaces of (de)legitimization. However, with major mainstream politicians using social media, the (de)legitimized spaces coexist with the legitimized ones, forming new dialogues. In some instances, the dissemination of parodies and memes have become appropriated into mainstream political discourse. This chapter maps the complex relationship and interplays between “legitimate” and the (de)legitimizing aspects of political discourse on social media, and the nature of their routes of dissemination, and the interactions of networked audiences. Finally, we propose that these interactions suggest a new “user-sphere” has been created, but one whose nexus of interactions has not (thus far) translated into a more civically engaged electorate—a new “nectorate”.