The Algorithmization of Public Communication in Platform Environments: Challenges to Democratic Processes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28925/2524-2652.2026.13Keywords:
public communication, platformization, algorithmization, crisis of democracy, social media, platform studiesAbstract
Democracy as a form of political organization and a complex of social institutions is a historically conditioned outcome of profound social, ideological, and value-based transformations. Within this complex of change, a large number of actors and instruments operate as elements of intricate interconnections among diverse institutions, thereby giving democracy its procedural character. Public communication is one of the fundamental elements of democratic processes, as it embodies the possibility of free public discussion of various ideas that may be debated and subjected to criticism. The technological revolution of recent decades has created a fundamentally new environment for public discussion through digitalization, platformization, and algorithmization. Today, algorithms determine the visibility, priority, accessibility, and circulation of information. Under these conditions, they cease to be merely technical tools and assume the role of social-communication intermediaries that influence the formation of public attention, the boundaries of public debate, and the configuration of democratic interaction. Contemporary platformization and algorithmization of the public sphere are transforming not only the ways information is consumed but also the very conditions under which public opinion is formed and expressed.
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