The result is an erosion of the stature of mainstream political parties and trade unions, and all-time low levels of trust in governments writ large. Powered by new media, identities are beginning to form around new networks of social interaction that often defy state boundaries and have little connection to liberal democracy’s traditional institutions of governance.
与此同时，为民主合法性输送氧气的社会权力在遭遇边缘化的同时发生了幻灭，并逐渐从传统的政治传送带上脱离开去。结果导致主流政党和工会地位下降，以及对政府政令的信任度跌至历史新低。在新媒体的推动下，新的身份正在依托新的社会互动网络逐步形成，新身份往往不受国家边界的束缚，与自由民主国家的传统执政制度也几乎没有任何关系。