This text was published by EDMO BeLux, one of fifteen EDMO Hubs.
EDMO BELUX Lunch Lecture 9: Is the Internet compatible with democracy?
Date: June 29th 2026 Time: 12:00-13:00 CEST | Location: Online event
Our next EDMO BELUX Lunch Lecture will take place on June 29th, 2026, at 12:00-13:00 CEST. Join us for our webinar, where Professor Stephan Lewandowsky will present his perspectives on the problematic relationship between the Internet, especially the engagement-based business model of social media platforms, and democracy. Attendance is free but registration is required: https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/63521a2f-32ee-46ce-b12a-798a0e40c595@7ab090d4-fa2e-4ecf-bc7c-4127b4d582ec
Several scholars have opined that the Internet, especially the engagement-based business model of social media platforms, is incompatible with democracy. The term “surveillance capitalism” has been used to describe this business model. However, to date there has been no systematic examination of the evidence for those claims. Professor Stephan Lewandowsky reviews the evidence we now have to support the assertion that the Internet, in its current form, is antithetical to democracy. His approach rests in part on the material recently published in a report for the European Commission, entitled Fractured Realities. The core argument rests on a causal chain from network homophily to false-consensus effects to populist attitudes. Specifically, it is known that people connect preferentially to others online who share their interests and…