How is social media changing our democracy?

Social media has radically changed the way we communicate. "Communication has become much faster, as it is no longer bound by time or place. Overall, debates have become more emotional and shorter. And, last but not least, social media is contributing to social polarisation," says Jörg Matthes, Professor of Communication, listing the three most significant developments.

Hate online

According to Matthes, who heads a major EU project on digital hate at the University of Vienna, the fact that we cannot see the person we are talking to directly contributes significantly to the spread of hate online: "Unlike in a normal conversation, I don’t get an immediate reaction to what I say. This leads us to communicate differently and lowers the threshold for posting offensive or hateful content."

"Surely we're still allowed to say that" is often cited as an argument in the name of freedom of expression. Magdalena Pöschl, Head of the Institute for Constitutional and Administrative Law, makes it clear that this is not true: "Democracy relies on facts and on the fundamentally peaceful exchange of arguments. For this reason, freedom of expression is not unlimited; according to the European Convention on Human Rights, its exercise also entails 'duties and responsibilities'. A democratic society must certainly be able to tolerate even harsh speech. Provided that it does not infringe upon the rights of others or serious public interests and democracy."

A tool for establishing the truth

And in a democracy in particular, freedom of expression is a key pillar, as the legal scholar emphasises: "Freedom of expression – like all civil liberties – is intended, first and foremost, to help people realise their full potential. However, it is also linked to three hopes that go far beyond individual well-being. Firstly, freedom of expression is regarded as the foundation of democracy; secondly, as a key instrument for establishing the truth; and thirdly, it is intended to enable the peaceful management of the diversity that free speech brings to light. However, these expectations are only fulfilled to a limited extent in the digital sphere. Online hate is the antithesis of the peaceful management of diversity, whilst the disinformation sweeping through online forums does nothing to contribute to the search for truth. Both endanger democracy. Even the benefits we expect freedom of expression to bring to the individual are questionable in the digital sphere, as online hate silences many people."

Communications expert Jörg Matthes observes that our ability to listen to one another is steadily declining: "Naturally, this prevents any kind of social discourse from taking place; instead, it usually leads to hostility and even hatred." A healthy culture of communication is particularly important in a democracy, which is, after all, built on mutual discussion and consensus-building.

"A culture of communication is absolutely central to democracy, because it's all about reaching a mutual understanding, finding solutions, listening to one another and then identifying a course of action that benefits everyone," says Matthes: "It means tolerating other political opinions and attitudes, even if I don't agree with them. And that is a skill that people on both ends of the political spectrum need to relearn in order to counteract the increasing polarisation we are seeing in society."

Europe must achieve digital sovereignty

The so-called "Digital Services Act" imposes quite extensive obligations on platform operators, such as transparency requirements, due diligence obligations and the duty to remove illegal content. "Very large platforms must also assess the systemic risks they pose and take measures to mitigate them," emphasises Pöschl, who recently took part in a discussion with other renowned experts on the topic of "Freedom of expression under pressure" as part of Fundamental Rights Day: "However, enforcing these rules is often difficult in practice – sometimes because the platforms do not cooperate, and sometimes because the authorities lack the resources or the capacity to enforce them. If Europe wants to defend its freedom of expression and its democracy in the long term, it must achieve digital sovereignty."