Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This introduction examines the profound transformations affecting the relationship between media and democracy in Europe within a context marked by digitalization, information fragmentation, declining institutional trust, and multiple crises. Drawing on an audience-centered approach, it argues that democratic disruption cannot be attributed solely to digital media but results from complex interactions between structural constraints, economic dynamics, political cultures, and citizens’ everyday practices. Based on the European MeDeMAP project, the studies presented highlight how citizens perceive both material threats (media ownership concentration, political and economic pressures) and discursive challenges (loss of trust, misinformation, and polarization) affecting democratic communication. Despite significant national differences, European citizens share expectations for more independent, transparent, and participatory media systems. The findings also emphasize citizens’ potential agency as active actors in democratic communication through media literacy, civic engagement, and collaborative knowledge production.
Source: ESSACHESS/Essachess
DOI: 10.21409/hva9-mh26
Language: English
Subfield: Communication
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7166735293
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