Fifth Estate Theories of Distributed and Network Power

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Abstract
Fifth Estate theories of distributed and network power contribute to traditional theories of the estates as well as more contemporary political perspectives on the separation of powers, distribution of powers, and pluralism. A description of the origins of early theoretical conceptions of the Fourth Estate of the press provides a foundation for differentiating the Fifth Estate and seeing its role in contemporary pluralist theories of democracy. The origins of these estates are from the perspective of a preindustrial society, but they can be theoretically transported into the digital age to offer an innovative perspective on the network power shifts of the digital age. A discussion of the critics of the Fifth Estate, including those tied to the other four estates, illuminates how it is distinct from, and not part of, other estates, institutions, and actors in the internet realm.

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