Social Media: Democratization or Radicalization Engine?

Over the last decades, the media image of the internet has undergone a shift. In the beginning, high hopes were held up for its democratic potential and it was believed to foster transparency and participation. These expectations however have been increasingly clouded by concerns, and the internet is today often portrayed as the origin of societal threats like radicalization, misinformation and political manipulation. By developing methods to study political discourse online, the ODYCCEUS project operated in the tension between these poles.

In this event, we want to reflect on our role and the role of science in general in recovering the internet’s democratic potential. Join us when we discuss this question with Julia Ebner, expert on online extremism and radicalization, Andreas Jungherr, political scientist studying the impact of digital media on politics and society and Philipp Lorenz-Spreen who focuses on the behavioral and cognitive dimensions of online behavior.