Interdisciplinary researchers in Austria discussed social media’s threat to democracy in a dialogue forum in Parliament, demanding a “digital call to order” and public service platforms. However, opinions remain divided about the requirement of using a real name online.
On Monday, a group of researchers from the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) examined the threat of social media to democracy and asked MPs to make legal changes to the handling of social media, publishing six recommendations in their report.
Led by communications expert Matthias Karsmin, the research team delved into a comprehensive analysis of more than 100 international studies concerning the role of social media. Their findings led them to the conclusion that a multifaceted approach is necessary to mitigate the adverse effects it imposes on liberal democracy in Austria.
6 recommendations
The recommendations propose that politicians take an active role in the monitoring of political discourse in Austria, as well as political content online, and usage behavior. The researchers advocated for the implementation of a “code of conduct” for members of the National Council. The violation of these guidelines would result in what the researchers refer to as a “digital call to order,” that can be “issued in analogy to the regulations in the plenary session.” In addition, a self-regulatory Ethics Council should be established for political advertising.
In 2022, the European Union passed the Digital Services Act (DSA) to protect users’ fundamental rights online and establish clear rules against hate speech and misinformation. The Act introduced high fines for failure to abide by the strict regulations. However, researchers at the ÖAW remain unsatisfied.
To democratize the digital space, they call for publicly owned digital platforms to prevent quasi-monopolies and ensure that the public is provided with reliable, fact-checked information. Creating European digital platforms would counteract the rising influence of social media giants such as Meta and TikTok. This project was deemed of “central importance” in the report.
Furthermore, the report advocates for a reform of media funding and advertising allocation. It underscores the importance of reinforcing democratic oversight on European digital platforms by introducing new transparency regulations for the algorithms. This initiative would complement the existing DSA and the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
The Austrian Press Agency (OTS) reported that the requirement to use real names on social media was discussed during the forum in Parliament, but was not published in the report. This reawakened a debate that began in 2019 when the right-wing coalition government between the Austrian People’s Party and the Freedom Party of Austria proposed this obligation in a controversial draft bill.
According to OTS, Magdalena Pöschl, professor at the Institute for Constitutional and Administrative Law at the University of Vienna, was not in favor of the measure, arguing that this would contradict the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation and contribute to the concerning amounts of data collected from users.
Social media’s threat to democracy
Social media is increasingly becoming a driving force in the political debate. Last year, social platforms were already the primary source of news for more than 38% of young people (up to 24 years of age). In Austria, this trend extended to 12% of individuals over 45, reflecting an increase from 8.9% in 2019.
Yet, since the news published on digital platforms does not follow the same journalistic production routines, political discourse online is polluted with misinformation. With the addition of profit-driven algorithms, the voices of those on political fringes are amplified, causing further political “polarization and emotionalization.”
Despite these findings, the researchers also concluded that users themselves are aware of the negative effects of social media and are critical of them. The report raised an interesting dissonance between users that were aware of the problem of misinformation, yet continued to consume media on social platforms. In the 2022 Standard Eurobarometer 96, 68% of Austrians answered that encounters with false news were a threat to democracy, compared to the EU average of 82%.
As a result, opinions expressed at the forum remained divided, with Dagmar Belakowitsch of the right-wing populist Freedom Party of Austria not viewing social media as a threat but rather welcoming the plurality of opinions offered by social media.
Although primarily focused on Austria, the report examined multiple international studies and is therefore relevant worldwide. As noted by Magdalena Pöschl, the threat that social media poses to democracy is a cross-border issue that requires cross-border solutions rather than a narrow reliance on national regulations.
