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10 papers analyzed
These studies suggest that digital platforms positively impact political and civic engagement, but also introduce complexities such as the need to manage public values, potential for polarization, and challenges in balancing transparency and contentious content.
20 papers analyzed
The impact of digital platforms on political discourse and public engagement has been a subject of extensive research. Digital media and social platforms have transformed how political information is disseminated and how citizens engage in political activities. This synthesis aims to present key insights from various research papers on this topic.
Increased Civic and Political Engagement: Digital media use, particularly for political activities such as blogging, reading online news, and participating in online discussions, has been shown to increase offline political participation, including contacting officials, volunteering, and protesting .
Positive Correlation with Political Participation: Preference for digital news platforms over traditional media is strongly associated with higher levels of political and civic participation .
Disinformation and Polarization: Digital platforms have also facilitated the spread of disinformation, fake news, and hate speech, which have poisoned public discourse and influenced elections, contributing to political polarization and the formation of echo chambers .
Platformization of Public Sphere: The dominance of digital platforms in shaping public discourse and political content has led to a fragmented political landscape, where global private corporations control the distribution of information and communication resources.
Role of Social Media in Political Campaigns: Social media platforms play a crucial role in political campaigns, with the interplay between individual socio-cognitive biases and campaign efforts driving public discourse and political polarization.
Challenges of Digital Public Squares: The use of privately owned social media platforms by politicians as digital public squares raises democratic dilemmas, including issues of transparency, the right to criticize, and the management of abusive content.
Digital platforms have a dual impact on political discourse and public engagement. On one hand, they enhance civic and political participation by providing new avenues for political activities and information dissemination. On the other hand, they contribute to the spread of disinformation and political polarization, challenging the integrity of public discourse. The dominance of private corporations in the digital public sphere further complicates the landscape, raising important questions about the balance between commercial interests and public values.
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