Leetocracy

Description

““Leetocracy” means basically “rule of the leet.” “Leet” is an Anglo-American internet slang term deriving from the word “elite.” It denotes the special kind of language used by hacking and other online cultures, using abbreviations (lol, brb), numbers instead of letters (1337) and deliberate misspelling (pwned), as well as the self-appointed digital elite using the language. We use the term “leetocracy” as a reminder that the increased importance of networked political activism might not necessarily mean increased equality in political participation but instead the potential rise of new elites as argued in this paper.”

See: Networked Political Activism or the Continuation of Elitism in Competitive Democracy. YANA BREINDL & NILS GUSTAFSSON. Chapter Nine of: New Intersections of Internet Research