On 25 September, Democracy27 held the first of three Academic Symposia, bringing together members of its Academic Advisory Board to explore how societal fragmentation and technological transformation are reshaping democracy and the public sphere.
The discussion, moderated by Madeleine de Cock Buning, Chair of Democracy27’s Academic Advisory Board, brought together:
- Claes de Vreese, Professor of Political Communication, University of Amsterdam
- Jane Suiter, Professor of Political Communication, Dublin City University
- Damir Kapidžić, Professor of Political Science, University of Sarajevo
- Steven Wilson, Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Gothenburg and Director of the V-Dem Institute
“Democracy is a verb. It has to be exercised; it’s not a static notion.” — Madeleine de Cock Buning
Three highlights from the discussion
Democracy needs more than defending
For Claes de Vreese, rebuilding trust requires more than protecting existing democratic institutions. Democracy also needs to offer citizens a positive vision of change.
“It’s not enough for us as proponents of democracy to only defend democracy.”
Participation must lead somewhere
Jane Suiter highlighted the importance of ensuring that citizen participation is connected to meaningful institutional responses. Bringing citizens into the conversation matters — but so does what happens afterwards.
“Really crucially, and the most crucial thing, is that there is some response.”
Technology is reshaping the democratic public sphere
From algorithms and social media to generative AI, technology is transforming how citizens access information and engage with democracy. The discussion highlighted the need for greater transparency, user agency and democratic control, while also exploring how technology could support participation and accountability.
Damir Kapidžić argued that banning algorithms from social media would not address the underlying challenges. Instead, he called for greater transparency and co-regulation, emphasising the importance of creating spaces where people can encounter different perspectives rather than remaining within their own information bubbles.
“Those bring people together who don’t think in the same way, and then, while discussing the main reason why you’re there, this is how public spheres usually work.” — Damir Kapidžić
Claes de Vreese similarly stressed the importance of combining transparency with greater user agency, arguing that personalisation is not necessarily the problem in itself. The challenge is ensuring that citizens retain access to a shared informational space.
“What we really want to have is something that we know is shared.” — Claes de Vreese
There is no single answer to democratic renewal. The symposium instead highlighted the need to combine stronger citizen participation, trustworthy information and a more deliberate democratic approach to technology.