November 9, thursday, 5:15 p.m
Meeting on the Zoom platform – prof. Cristian Vaccari (Loughborough University)
The organizer:
Institute of Journalism and Media Communication of the University of Silesia
Outside the Bubble: Social Media and Political Participation in Western Democracies
This presentation argues that social media are redefining the ways in which citizens engage with political information and that, overall, these changes have positive implications for political participation and equality in Western democracies. By allowing users to encounter political messages that reinforce their viewpoints, facilitating accidental exposure to political news, and exposing voters to electoral mobilization, social media make a positive contribution to citizens’ participation. Moreover, these political experiences not only benefit political junkies but enhance participation especially among less politically involved citizens. While social media may be part of many contemporary problems in democratic societies, they seem to be part of the solution to at least two important democratic ills—citizen disconnection from politics and inequalities between those who choose to exercise their voice and those who prefer to remain silent.