New CO3 policy brief: what platforms make visible during elections and why it matters
- Apr 13
- 2 min read
Updated: May 13
Social media platforms have become central arenas for political communication in Europe. However, their role goes beyond hosting debate. They actively shape what citizens see, which issues gain attention, and which political actors become visible.
The new CO3 policy brief, “What Platforms Make Visible during Elections”, examines how short-video platforms and recommender algorithms like TikTok and Instagram Reels structure what users see based on their perceived preferences.
This raises important questions for policymaking in Europe.
Current debates around key initiatives such as the Digital Fairness Act and the EU Democracy Shield tend to focus on mitigating risks including disinformation, manipulation, and polarisation. While these risks are real, the findings point to a more complex reality: platforms also shape the conditions under which political actors gain visibility and citizens engage with public debate. But in constrained media environments platforms may also provide visibility to actors who would otherwise remain marginalised.
A core policy tension therefore emerges. Strengthening democratic resilience in Europe requires not only addressing digital risks, but also ensuring fair and pluralistic access to visibility in platform-mediated public spheres. In response, a more coordinated European approach is called for, linking platform governance with broader efforts to support democratic resilience. This includes the development of EU-level capacities to monitor platform dynamics during elections, increased transparency around how recommender systems prioritise political content, and improved access to platform data for researchers, journalists, and civil society.
Addressing risks to democracy is therefore not only a matter of limiting harmful content, but of fostering conditions in which diverse viewpoints, credible information, and meaningful political engagement can emerge and be sustained.
Ultimately, digital platforms are not external to democracy or to the development of social contracts. They are increasingly part of the infrastructure through which democratic social contracts are negotiated, contested, and renewed.
