@wiebkedrews.bsky.social @jasminriedl.bsky.social @projekt-sparta.bsky.social

osf.io/preprints/so...

This is a crucial step (and our next step) toward evaluating whether platform algorithms contribute to structural biases and asymmetries in political communication 🛡️ 🇪🇺

API-based behavioural data cannot reveal exposure dynamics or algorithmic amplification. With new data-access mechanisms under the #DSA, there are now pathways to request recommender-system metadata and exposure data.

What remains opaque, however, is the role of recommender systems in shaping these asymmetric political information environments 🌐 ⚙️

We find that parties known for Eurosceptic issue positions and for using highly emotional communication styles were especially successful in generating engagement 📈

Radical populist parties on both ends of the ideological spectrum, but especially on the radical right, received disproportionately high engagement in the form of likes across multiple platforms.

Our analysis based on the #EUDigiParty dataset, covering the activity of all relevant European political parties across five major social media platforms, shows a clear pattern in the run-up to the 2024 European Parliament elections 📊

There is growing debate around #digitalsovereignty, and one essential step toward strengthening democratic sovereignty is to understand how political actors operate and are amplified on major social media platforms, many of which are operated outside of Europe 🇺🇲 🇨🇳

Dies hilft schließlich auch den Unternehmen, die damit kostenlose Unterstützung bekommen ihre Systeme sicherer und besser zu gestalten💡 🦺

Diese ziviligesellschaftlichen Instrumente sollten nun auch verstärkt in #KI-Policy eingesetzt werden, damit Forschende KI-Systeme wie #LLMs systematisch auf Risiken und Biases untersuchen können.

Und schon jetzt ist klar, dass der hashtag#DSA einen neuen regulatorisch vorgeschriebenen Zugang zu Daten für Forschende ermöglicht und somit hoffentlich zu einem besseren Verständnis von Risiken in digitalen Informationsumgebungen beiträgt.

Wie wird auf digitale Plattformen wie #Twitter / X Einfluss genommen? Welche Probleme und Gefahren stellt die Einflussnahme dar? Und wie kann die #EU Mithilfe des #DSA dagegen vorgehen? Dazu referieren @luisequaritsch.bsky.social und @philippdarius.bsky.social vor vollem Haus im Q-Club.

And last but not least, fresh croissants and coffee 🥐 ☕

Hosted by:
@delorsberlin.bsky.social and @hertieschool.bsky.social Centre for Digital Governance

It also underlines how important the governance of digital information environments is for safeguarding electoral processes and upholding democratic integrity 📩🖥️📊
#DigitalGovernance #DSA #Regulation #Elections #BTW25

Even as platforms adjust their content moderation policies to reflect US political dynamics (and aligning with hashtag#Trump and hashtag#Musk), they remain subject to EU regulations to operate in Europe 💶🖥️🇪🇺 This highlights the urgent need for European and national regulators to enforce the #DSA.

Meanwhile, Mark hashtag#Zuckerberg’s recent pivot at hashtag#Meta, framing content moderation as censorship, raises further questions about the alignment between U.S. tech giants' policies and European democratic values. 🇪🇺🛡️

While the exact impact of Musk’s actions is hard to quantify, his global PR push has undeniably amplified the AfD’s online visibility and media coverage, likely influencing discourse well beyond the upcoming #Bundestagswahlen in February. #BTW25

Musk’s entrepreneurial charisma and sentiments might resonate with liberal and conservative voter groups, not just AfD supporters. This is especially relevant given Germany's current economic problems, deindustrialization, lack of digitalization and frustration with bureaucratic inefficiencies