The Slow Media Activism of the Spanish Pensioners’ Movement: Imaginaries, Ecologies, and Practices

Abstract

Elderly activism has received marginal attention in communication and social movement studies. However, the pensioners have been at the forefront of one of the most stable social uprisings in Spain since its outburst in January 2018. From the perspective of media imaginaries, practices, and ecologies, this article analyzes the communicational dimension of the so-called Marea Pensionista movement, addressing different aspects of its hybrid mediated and nonmediated communication forms. Methodology relies on in-depth interviews to the communication leaders of its most representative organizational platforms and on an analysis of contents posted on its social networks. The pensioners’ communication imaginaries show a low degree of systematization, while their media practices fluctuate from the ordinary to the strategic. They combine both classical repertoires and learning from recent techno-political movements. Within a sort of slow media activism, their pragmatic and demystified approach to ICT leads them to conceive communication in the long term, aiming to attract new supporters and reinforce internal emotional ties.