Italy’s “Five Stars” movement and the role of a leader: Or, how charismatic power can resurface through the web

By focusing on the case of the Italian political movement “Five Stars”, founded in 2009 by former comedian Beppe Grillo, this article will analyze the resurfacing of a particular kind of power – charismatic authority – through a platform such as Web 2.0 that was expected to promote more rational consensus strategies. Although the political action of the Five Stars movement pretends to be inspired by a participative culture, it is in fact directly ruled by the founder via his blog, with a little space allowed for discussions. In this sense, the rise of Grillo as a political leader seems to both retrieve and renew an old form of authority grounded in a very traditional legitimacy – the charismatic and undisputed leadership of the boss – while at the same time being able to spread through the network. This article will offer an overview of events and also provide a theoretical interpretation.