Angelos Chryssogelos outlines why social media platforms have the potential to change in bringing together users from different backgrounds and with different beliefs.
Angelos, an associate fellow with the Europe Programme at Chatham House, is an expert in European politics, populism, and the rise of the far right.
As part of the project, we asked him to consider one of our research questions: What effect does technology have on democracy in Europe?
In his video response, he explains that the opportunities for political parties to use technology are huge in terms of engaging with voters and understanding their concerns, as well as for voters having more direct engagement with decision-making.
However he says the dangers are very present with big social media platforms in reinforcing people’s own beliefs and offering debate only with those of the same opinion or those they trust. Changing this could be a huge enhancement for democracy’s future.
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