Social Media — Democratization or radicalization engine?

Over the last decades, the image of the internet in media has undergone a drastic shift. Initially, it promised vast democratic potential by fostering transparency and encouraging universal participation. However, these expectations have lately been clouded by concerns, as the internet is now often portrayed as the origin of fundamental threats to societies like radicalization, misinformation, and political manipulation.

By developing methods to study political discourse online, the ODYCCEUS project operates 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 (author and political advisor, expert on online extremism), Andreas Jungherr (political scientist studying the impact of digital media on politics and society), and Philipp Lorenz-Spreen (MPI for Human Development, researcher of online behavior).