Threats from Digital Media to Democracy

  Researchers at  the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, the Hertie school, and University of Bristol have conducted a systematic review of studies investigating whether and how digital media impacts citizens political behaviour. The empirical studies show that some effects may be benificial for democracy. For example, digital media can increase political knowledge and diversity of news exposure. However, they can also have detrimental effects, such as fostering polarization and populism. What's more, the way effects such as increased political mobilization and decreasing trust in institutions play out depends largely on the political context. Such developments are benificial in emerging democracies but have destabilizing effects in established democracies. "the advantage of our systematic review  against the background of a divisive and often partisan debate is that allows objective conclusions to be drawn", says author philipp Lorenz Spreen of the Max Planck In...