Social Media: Vectors of Illiberalism or Sources of Resistance?

Abstract

This chapter addresses the role of social media in both facilitating the proliferation of illiberal attitudes from the margins to the mainstream, as well as their potential to act as channels of liberal resistance. In the first part, the chapter outlines a brief history of social media adoption by political actors in Eastern Europe, demonstrating how digital platforms aided the rise of right-wing populist parties in the region. Following from that, we explore the socio-demographic characteristics of those who use social media for news, and then consider how social media use relates to illiberal attitudes. The data suggests that in countries where the illiberal public sphere is more advanced, the relative importance of social media as sources of information is greater, and it is more often associated with holding liberal attitudes and support for democracy. Finally, the chapter determines that people who use social media to express their opinions and engage with political content online are more likely to be pro-democratic and liberal-oriented, suggesting thereby that digital platforms might turn out to be an be an important channel for mobilizing liberal opposition once the illiberal public sphere starts dominating over the liberal one.