DIGITAL MOBILIZATION AND NETWORKED COLLECTIVE ACTION IN SMALL DEMOCRACIES: INSTITUTIONAL INTERACTION AND POLITICAL TRANSFORMATION

Abstract The expansion of digital communication platforms has fundamentally reshaped the dynamics of collective action. Social movements increasingly rely on online networks to mobilize participants, frame political narratives, and coordinate protest activities. Small democracies with high digital penetration provide particularly illustrative contexts for examining how digital activism interacts with institutional structures. This study analyzes the transformation of social movements in digitally advanced small democracies, focusing on networked mobilization patterns, institutional responsiveness, and long-term political impact. The research explores whether digital activism enhances democratic participation or produces fragmented, short-lived mobilization cycles. The objective is to assess structural conditions under which digital collective action contributes to sustainable political transformation rather than episodic protest expression