A Reflection on the Political Potential and Limits of Monitory Democracy

This paper seeks to critically examine John Keane's monitory democracy proposal. The concept of democracy has recently become an indisputable trending topic, not only in the 2.0 space, but in the public sphere as a whole. In a period marked by an increased distance between citizens and the political class, resulting from citizen mobilisation and a climate of uncertainty, monitory democracy is put forward as a concept that can explain some of the transformations that are currently taking place. These changes are linked to the new and expanding dynamics of citizens' political monitoring, due in part to the possibilities opened up by the new media galaxy. Hence the importance of reflecting on the possibilities and limits of this new model of democracy, within the context of political theory's attempts to address questions about the current or future state of democracy.