Abstract

The article proposes a reinterpretation of party typologies, starting from a criterion of relevance identified in the transformations of communicative ecologies. The article focuses on the impact generated by new digital information and communication technologies (Icts) in changing operational environments of parties. In this framework, we consider the opportunities Icts offer in terms of innovation potential not only with reference to communication, but also to other functional and organizational aspects. In particular, it is highlighted how the absorption of new technologies can generate different levels of innovation (in the organizational models of parties) on a continuum between «sustainable innovations» and «disruptive innovations». The former, typical of established parties, imply an instrumental conception of new Icts as resources for the effective performance of certain functions, without particular organizational consequences; the latter, instead, which can be found in some new parties born in the age of the Internet, are linked to a constructivist conception of Icts which assume the role of frames that incorporate radical and innovative visions of political reality. Adopting a dynamic perspective, the article therefore proposes to integrate the concept of «original model» considering a further factor, namely that of technological imprinting. The technological dimension, in fact, plays a crucial role in the twenty-first century in influencing the construction and organizational evolution of parties, offering opportunities but also establishing conditions for change and opening new risks for the quality of democracy.