U.S., Europe Worried About Impact Of Social Media On Democracy

More respondents in the United States and Europe think social media platforms, including Twitter and Facebook, have a negative impact on democracy than in other regions, with the figure standing at more than 30%, a major international survey showed, Mainichi Japan reported.

Photo Insert: 59% of respondents across 53 countries and regions saw a positive impact from social media on democracies, while 26% saw a negative impact.

In the 2023 edition of the Democracy Perception Index (DPI), the world's largest annual study of how people perceive democracy, 59% of respondents across 53 countries and regions saw a positive impact from social media on democracies, while 26% saw a negative impact.

However, a notably larger percentage of people in Western countries have concerns about their influence, with the figure standing at 43% in the US and 35% in Europe.

Concerns have grown in these regions about the spread of fake news including the use of automated "computational propaganda" on social media platforms for political, financial or ideological gain such as influence on elections and manipulation of public opinion.

Summarizing the results, the report said "There are strong regional divides, and people in Europe and the US are far more critical of social media's influence than in Asia or Latin America."

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