Fighting against hate, extremism and polarisation

Public debate increasingly occurs via these social media platforms in which citizens, politicians, companies and bots communicate directly to each other without the traditional filters of journalistic standards and editorial oversight. It has been suggested that, where citizens increasingly rely on such platforms for news, they risk entering so-called ‘filter bubbles’ in which they are exposed to a narrow range of perspectives oriented around their own profiles, shielded from contrasting views, in a broad trend that could also lead to more polarised societies. In this context, STOA launched two studies to explore the mechanisms by which these technologies and techniques may foster polarisation in Europe. One study approached the question with reference to trends in the production and consumption of news media, while the other focussed on trends in political campaigning and communication strategies.

Across Europe there is as yet little evidence to support the idea that increased exposure to news featuring like-minded or opposing views leads to the widespread polarisation of attitudes. Though some studies have found that both can strengthen the attitudes of a minority who already hold strong views.

This paper examines the role played by the media in fostering polarisation and extremism and considers how local practitioners can respond by incorporating a media-oriented strategy into their plans for preventing and countering violent extremism.

This report offers a comprehensive overview of the relationship between technology, democracy and the polarisation of public discourse. Technology is inherently political, and the ways in which it is designed and used have ongoing implications for participation, deliberation, and democracy.

ccording to Berlin, Rawls and Arendt, a democratic system should be characterised by a public language through which to communicate. However, digital platforms lead to individuals closing themselves off in echo chambers and filter bubbles. In this paper we attempt to model some scenarios in order to determine the potential consequences of the development of digital platforms on democratic pluralism.