Project description
Digital platform paves the way for politics of transparency
The digital age has undoubtedly benefited society in a number of profound ways. The unhindered exchange of information has been liberating for the most part, providing unlimited access to knowledge that was once a privilege of the few. However, this has also created issues of trust that are particularly prominent in the political field, where vested interests may lead to misuse of information. To address this issue, the EU-funded DIGIPOL project is developing a set of web services and applications on political discourse targeted at policymakers, citizens and researchers. The innovative platform will track Twitter interactions in real time, mitigating the control of private platforms over political issues.
Objective
At a time when online discourse is increasingly controlled by private platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and when fake news risks affecting elections and public health in Europe and the United States, there is a growing need for more transparency in online discourse. DIGIPOL argues that misinformation is one attribute of a larger digital information ecosystem over which we urgently require oversight. It launches a digital observatory of political discourse in the form of an online dashboard that tracks Twitter discourse in real-time. It is highly innovative - instead of an opinion poll, it models political science and media studies concepts (populism, expertise, echo chambers, and political identity) to present complex information on online discourse to policymakers, citizens, platforms, and researchers.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-GF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global FellowshipsCoordinator
50014 Fiesole
Italy