Digital technologies are fundamentally changing the concept of citizenship as our identities in the digital society become the sum of countless (digital) personae, loyalties, assets and contexts, requiring a redefinition of citizenship in the digital society. Citizenship in a digital society thus requires new skills, competencies, attitudes and behaviour.
A digital society offers opportunities, such as for participating in democracy, but also struggles such as declining trust in governments, escalating polarisation, digital exclusion and bias, and the spread of disinformation. Digital platforms reinforce such undesired effects and control consumption in new ways, for example by chatbots, social media influencers, fake advertisers or virtual assistants. Moreover, digital technologies and the algorithms that are part of it, can confirm and reinforce inequalities among citizens, as not everyone can benefit from the benefits to the same extent.
Research themes
These developments require research into:
- How to understand digital citizenship and how to develop digital citizenship?
- How do platforms impact digital citizenship and how to combat undesired impacts?
- Do digital technologies reinforce inequalities among citizens and how can we combat the digital divide?
As digital citizenship and impacts of digital technology are complex societal issues we strive for an integrative research approach. Therefore, we answer these questions with an interdisciplinary approach to understand how education, communication, law & regulation, politics, economics, (organisational) infrastructures, and technological design can contribute. At the same time, we investigate digital citizenship at the micro (individual), meso (organisational and institutional) and macro (societal) level.
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Participatory propaganda
Participatory propaganda is a form of propaganda that involves active participation or engagement from the audience. Unlike traditional propaganda, where information is disseminated to the masses without much interaction, participatory propaganda involves recipients of the propaganda (often unwittingly) actively contributing to its spread.
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Generative AI Tools and Disinformation Perception
This study investigates how generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Midjourney relate to perceptions of disinformation. Given the potential misuse of these tools to fabricate false information, the study examines the extent to which awareness of these tools contributes to increased distrust and cynicism regarding political information. Despite a general tendency for people to trust the information they encounter, a phenomenon known as truth bias, this research explores whether AI tools can undermine this trust.
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Is Online Microtargeting Increasing Financial Support for Extreme Candidates?
During the 2020 US election cycle, small donors comprised 25% of all political contributions, up from 15% four years earlier. Despite their growing significance, there is little empirical evidence exploring why non-elite small donors contribute and to whom they donate. If the preferences of small donors are not representative of the broader public, they may exert a biasing influence on politics. This study examines whether online microtargeting drives the increase in small donations and whether small donors undermine party control by increasing funding for extreme candidates.
