Social Media and Democracy: The State of the Field, Prospects for Reform [Hardcover]

A state-of-the-art account of what we know and do not know about the effects of digital technology on democracy.This book is a state-of-the-art account of what we know and do not know about the impact of digital technology on democracy. It will interest scholars, policymakers, and philanthropic organizations. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.This book is a state-of-the-art account of what we know and do not know about the impact of digital technology on democracy. It will interest scholars, policymakers, and philanthropic organizations. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.Over the last five years, widespread concern about the effects of social media on democracy has led to an explosion in research from different disciplines and corners of academia. This book is the first of its kind to take stock of this emerging multi-disciplinary field by synthesizing what we know, identifying what we do not know and obstacles to future research, and charting a course for the future inquiry. Chapters by leading scholars cover major topics  from disinformation to hate speech to political advertising  and situate recent developments in the context of key policy questions. In addition, the book canvasses existing reform proposals in order to address widely perceived threats that social media poses to democracy. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.1. Introduction Nathaniel Persily and Joshua A. Tucker; 2. Misinformation, Disinformation, and Online Propaganda Andrew M. Guess and Benjamin A. Lyons; 3. Social Media, Echo Chambers, and Political Polarization Pablo Barbera; 4. Online Hate Speech Alexandra A. Siegel; 5. Bots and Computational Propaganda: Automation for Communication and Control Samuel C. Woolley; 6. Online Political Advertising in the United States Erika Franklin Fowler, Michael M. Franz, and Travis N. Ridout; 7. Democratic Creative Destruction? The Effect of a Changing Media Landscape on Demlc0