A Systematic Review of Worldwide Causal and Correlational Evidence on Digital Media and Democracy

Abstract

One of today's most controversial and consequential questions is whether the rapid, worldwide uptake of digital media is causally related to a decline in democracy. We conducted a systematic review of causal and correlational evidence (N=498 articles) on the link between digital media and different political variables, such as trust, polarization or news consumption. We further focused on the subset of articles that employed causal inference methods. Across methods, the articles report associations between digital media use and most political variables. Some associations, such as increases in political participation and information consumption, are likely to be beneficial for democracy and were often observed in the Global South and emerging democracies. Other consistently reported associations, such as declining political trust, advantages for populists, and growing polarization, are likely to be detrimental to democracy and were more pronounced in established democracies. We conclude that while the impact of digital media on democracy depends on the specific political variable and the political system in question, several variables show clear directions of associations. We believe that the evidence calls for further research efforts and vigilance by governments and civil societies to better understand and actively design the intimate interplay of digital media and democracy.

Freedom and Constraint in Digital Environments: Implications for the Self

“…For example, the introduction of 3G in the United States increased Democrats' liberal leanings and Republicans' conservative leanings (Melnikov, 2021). A systematic review of digital media's relationship with democracy around the world found that most studies find detrimental associations between digital-media use and political polarization (Lorenz-Spreen et al, 2021). This is consistent with other research showing that the introduction of mobile Internet reduces national identification by 5% to 7% by exposing people to greater polarization online (Choi et al, 2021).…”

“…Pan, 2017). And just as technological features can support authoritarian control from the top down, they may also influence key political outcomes such as populism and far-right voting from the bottom up (Lorenz-Spreen et al, 2021). Thus, although this article examined the influence of recent technological developments on the freedom of the individual, our work has obvious implications for freedom at the societal level.…”

Interventions to reduce partisan animosity

“…At the level of institutions, the structures of public institutions (e.g., government [1] and social and mass media [61][62][63][64][65]) may amplify stereotypes, making each side seem like a caricature of itself by incentivizing provocative and outrageous rhetoric. These institutions are the platforms for public dialogue, and norms tilt towards hostility.…”

Beyond the tip of the iceberg? Exploring Characteristics of the Online Public with Digital Trace Data

“…However, a growing body of literature suggests a different picture. Despite a homophilic structure of online social networks, the exposure to cross-cutting content is, by far, no exception in online environments (Bakshy et al, 2015;Barberá et al, 2015;Bright et al, 2020;Lorenz-Spreen et al, 2021;Oswald & Bright, 2022;Vaccari & Valeriani, 2018) and most users continue to receive political information from their favorite, mostly mainstream, news outlets (Flaxman et al, 2016;Guess, 2021;. It is, of course, difficult to define a benchmark of an 'ideal level' of opinion heterogeneity or 'ideal' diversity in news consumption.…”