Fractured Reality: How democracy can win the global struggle over the information space
A landmark new research report initiated by the European Commission argues that today’s attention economy rewards engagement over accuracy, which fuels polarization, echo chambers, and the spread of misinformation, impacting social media users and nations around the globe.
PAPER PUBLISHED BY
European Commission Joint Research Centre
LEAD AUTHORS
Mario Scharfbillig European Commission Joint Research Centre
Stephan Lewandowsky University of Bristol
CO-AUTHORS
Sacha Altay University of Zurich
Marshall Van Alstyne Boston University
Anastasia Kozyreva Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Ralph Hertwig Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Philipp Lorenz-Spreen Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Renee DiResta Georgetown University
Sebastian Valenzuela Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Stefanie Egidy Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods
Walter Quattrociocchi Sapienza University of Rome
Amy Orben University of Cambridge
ABSTRACT
The report examines the evolving impact of digital technologies on European democracy. In an era of a global struggle to control the information space, this report offers critical insights into the fracturing of perceived realities, the rise of the ”fantasy-industrial complex,” and the systemic risks posed by the attention economy. It exposes how platforms algorithmically prioritise engagement over accuracy, reinforcing ideological echo chambers and amplifying mis- and disinformation that erode democratic resilience. The report highlights how structural incentives and foreign control of
the most important players in the information space undermine information integrity, collective knowledge and civic discourse. In response, the report presents a number of recommendations from fostering alternative public spaces and crowd-sourced knowledge systems to reforming business models, restoring user agency, and advancing EU digital sovereignty through decentralised infrastructure.
READ THE REST OF THE RESEARCH PAPER IN ITS ENTIRETY
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