Digitalisation,Political Pressure,and Elite Decision-Making: Evidence from Catalonia’s 2017 Crisis

Abstract

This article analyses the relationship between digitalisation, political pressure, and elite decision-making during Catalonia’s 2017 crisis. Focusing on the July cabinet reshuffle, the 1 October referendum, and the events of 27 October, it examines how digital media environments shaped the conditions under which key political decisions were taken. The article adopts a qualitative case-study approach based on participant observation and the reconstruction of three critical episodes within the crisis. It argues that digital media were not merely instruments for the circulation of political messages, but part of the pressure context in which political actors operated. In moments of intense polarisation and uncertainty, online visibility, real-time signalling, reputational exposure, and digitally mediated expectations altered strategic calculations and narrowed the perceived room for manoeuvre of political elites. The findings suggest that digitalisation became politically consequential not only by influencing public opinion but also by reshaping the context of elite decision-making during critical institutional moments. The Catalan case illustrates how digital media can intensify political pressure in territorial conflicts marked by high uncertainty and emotional polarisation.