Social Media and European Democracy: A Conversation with Jon Worth

• Main Authors: Christopher Huggins, Jon Worth
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: UACES 2019-12-01
• Series: Journal of Contemporary European Research
• Subjects: Democracy; European Union; Social media
• Online Access: https://jcer.net/index.php/jcer/article/view/1142

Views on how social media contributes to European democracy are mixed. On the one hand social media platforms are seen to offer a new way to democratise political debate and communicate politics to a wide range of people. On the other hand, questions have been raised around the quality of democratic debate and political communication fostered by social media, especially in the context of fake news, disinformation and how social media can be manipulated. In this video interview we talk to Jon Worth, a blogger and active social media commentator on EU affairs, about what democracy means in the context of European Union politics, and what role social media plays in contributing to European democracy.