1. The Challenge of Networked Democracy

We are living in a time marked by the evolution of social media and its relation to democracy and governance. Platforms, Protests, and the Challenge of Networked Democracy explores this evolution and the future of networked democracy in chapters that address social media’s outsized impact on the public sphere, the increasing role of misinformation in online spaces, and the challenges facing individuals, collectives, and governments as they work within and in response to this environment. The authors gathered here examine how digital platforms influence democratic deliberation across multiple cultures and nations, considering online moderation, governance, and activism in the aftermath of recent anti-democratic manipulation and interference. In doing so, the collection demonstrates how emerging digital methods and communication theory are integral to addressing the challenges introduced by disruptive events from across the globe. In this way, the book argues less for the emergence of new promises or dangers of social media, but rather documents how scholars are becoming increasingly in tune with the array of forces impacting networked democracy.