We know so little about how social media influences democracy

#33

Dear Friends of Democracy,

My question for today: 

Don't we need many more professorships and broad research that deals with digitalization and its consequences? Research that analyzes the algorithms of Facebook, TikTok and others. Research that helps us understand why content spreads the way it does. About the war in Israel and Gaza. Or the one in Ukraine. Or where AI gets its knowledge from.

Research and knowledge about digitalization and its consequences remain the companies' focus. It's as if tobacco companies had a monopoly on knowledge of lung cancer statistics and car manufacturers had a monopoly on the connection between combustion engines and air quality.

We as a society need to understand better and act based on this understanding.

Because, for example, in a communication world in which whoever gets upset gets reach, because in such a world populism has a competitive advantage.

Right-wing populist parties grow big with the help of this bias. Presumptive. Scientific evidence is rare. Only if we do more research and subsequently know more can we create a media world that ultimately strengthens freedom, the rule of law and democracy. It's high time.

See you,

Johannes Eber