Project Duration:2023-2026
Donor: Horizon 2022 – 101095095
Lead Partner:University of Amsterdam
Partners:
- University of Amsterdam
- FZI Research Center for Information
- Jozef Stefan Institute
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- Robert Koch-Institute
- Slovenian Press Agency
- University of Belgrade
- University of Trier
IFDT Research Team: Dr. Ljubiša Bojić, Dr. Vera Mevorah
Together with a multinational consortium, the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, University of Belgrade (IFDT), is investigating the impacts of social networks on democratic discourse through the EU-funded TWON (Twin of Online Social Networks) project. The end goal is to provide the European Commission with strategic suggestions for possible technology company or platform operator regulations.
Online social networks, due to their internal mechanisms such as algorithmic ranking, influence the spread of news and, consequently, user behaviour. While these decisions often have economic motivations, many encourage social media to moderate published content to minimize negative consequences for democratic debates. However, there is no singular method to estimate the effects of changing a social network’s algorithmic parameters. The complexity of these systems hinders the translation of isolated experimental results into an estimate of total impact.
The primary objective of this research project is using a digital twin to identify how mechanisms on social media platforms, such as content filtering or personalisation, affect democratic debates. This aims to identify metrics promoting democracy and create an independent basis for discussions about possible regulatory measures or design recommendations for platform operators amongst politics, civil society, and the platforms themselves.
Key to achieving this goal is developing a digital twin of social network platforms, which can be used to simulate specific discussion topics and mechanisms, such as filtering and personalization. This allows the evaluation and testing of platform design decisions and their impact on democratic debates. To create a realistic environment, theoretical insights into networks and artificial intelligence mechanisms are utilised.
Alongside consortium partners, the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory is using case studies to research and evaluate the influence of platform design decisions on the quality and nature of democratic debates in the virtual space. Based on the research, the consortium proposes to legislators improved regulation of social networks and gives stakeholders advice to enhance their platforms. The consortium intends to share and discuss the methodology and results of the TWON project with the European public using various participatory formats, such as Citizen Labs. Feedback from the public can be directly incorporated into the project.
This project is supported by the European Commission through the Horizon Europe Framework Program for three years. In April 2023, the consortium partners gathered for the kick-off of the project in Amsterdam and have been working towards actualising the vision ever since. Dr. Ljubisa Bojic, from the Digital Society Lab at IFDT serves on the executive board of this EU project.
About the project:
The TWON research project is funded by the European Union with nearly €3,000,000 over three years (04/2023 – 03/2026). The international consortium consists of eight universities and partners from research, civil society, and business.
Website of the project: https://www.twon-project.eu/