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Democracy Dysfunctions and Citizens’ Digital Agency in Highly Contaminated Digital Information Ecosystems

Author

Listed:
  • Juan Herrero

    (Department of Psychology, Universidad de Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain)

  • Hazal Dilan Erdem

    (Department of Psychology, Universidad de Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain)

  • Andrea Torrres

    (Department of Psychology, Universidad de Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain)

  • Alberto Urueña

    (Department of Organization, Business Administration and Statistics, ETSI Industriales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28006 Madrid, Spain)

Abstract

Social media platforms have been recognized as significant contributors to the dissemination of polarizing content, the spread of disinformation, and the proliferation of far-right populist discourse. While certain political actors deliberately seek to disseminate disinformation, a more nuanced understanding is necessary to elucidate why users consume and accept this biased content. Using data from over 120,000 participants across five European and Spanish surveys, we empirically examined the relationships between social media use, disinformation, false news, users’ digital agency, far-right ideology, and far-right voting. We postulated that a lack of users’ digital agency is a significant contributor to this phenomenon and found a significant association between users’ low digital agency and the adoption of far-right ideologies (odds ratio [OR] = 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–1.23). This association remained after controlling for trust in social media news, psychological and social factors, sociodemographic variables, and response bias.

Suggested Citation

  • Juan Herrero & Hazal Dilan Erdem & Andrea Torrres & Alberto Urueña, 2025. "Democracy Dysfunctions and Citizens’ Digital Agency in Highly Contaminated Digital Information Ecosystems," Societies, MDPI, vol. 15(7), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:15:y:2025:i:7:p:175-:d:1685721
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Adida, Claire & Gottlieb, Jessica & Kramon, Eric & McClendon, Gwyneth, 2019. "Response Bias in Survey Measures of Voter Behavior: Implications for Measurement and Inference," Journal of Experimental Political Science, Cambridge University Press, vol. 6(3), pages 192-198, December.
    2. Daniel Mullis, 2021. "Urban conditions for the rise of the far right in the global city of Frankfurt: From austerity urbanism, post-democracy and gentrification to regressive collectivity," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(1), pages 131-147, January.
    3. Yesilada, Muhsin & Lewandowsky, Stephan, 2022. "Systematic review: YouTube recommendations and problematic content," Internet Policy Review: Journal on Internet Regulation, Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG), Berlin, vol. 11(1), pages 1-22.
    4. Bakker, Bert N. & Lelkes, Yphtach & Malka, Ariel, 2021. "Reconsidering the Link Between Self-Reported Personality Traits and Political Preferences," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 115(4), pages 1482-1498, November.
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