Comunicación Política en tiempos de Nueva Cultura Política

This theoretical study analyses the reciprocal transformation between political communication and the emerging new political culture in contemporary democracies. In a context marked by disaffection, populist sentiments, and digital saturation, the article explores how digital technologies and communication tools reconfigure citizens’ political engagement and reshape traditional roles of message transmission. The authors argue that political communication has moved beyond unidirectional broadcast models, giving way to horizontal and participatory dynamics characterised by immediacy and emotion. Likewise, the erosion of political ideologies and increasing social fragmentation have weakened institutional trust, intensifying the need to rethink the relationship between political discourse and civic participation. Drawing on interdisciplinary references from political science, communication theory and digital sociology, this paper outlines structural features of the new political culture, including citizen disengagement, digital activism, and the emotionalisation of political narratives. The authors also address the ambivalent role of social media, highlighting its potential for dialogue as well as its risks—such as misinformation and ideological echo chambers. In conclusion, the paper emphasises that understanding contemporary political culture requires integrating belief systems, emotional drivers and digital communication practices into a comprehensive framework of political behaviour in the digital age.