In 2011, Time Magazine named “The Protestor” as its Person of the Year. From Tahrir Square to Tunis, Twitter feeds to text messages, and WikiLeaks to Wall Street, the power of the masses is increasingly becoming magnified in new and unexpected ways. This panel will explore emerging trends in populist politics. What does the nature of decentralized mass movements like Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party and the protesters of the Arab Spring mean for political leaders? How is information technology changing the “politics of the street”? And how politically effective and lasting can such decentralized mass movements be in fomenting change?