Beyond Connectivity

Democratic uses and limitations of digital technologies in contexts of democratic crisis

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62161/revvisual.v18.6034

Keywords:

Digital democracy, Epistemic crisis, Social media, Citizen participation, Algorithmic governance, Disinformation, Political representation, Critical citizenship

Abstract

This article critically examines the role of digital technologies in contexts of democratic crisis. Through a multidisciplinary review and case studies in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia, it explores how digital platforms are reshaping citizenship, the public sphere, and political participation. While highlighting opportunities for civic agency, it also addresses risks such as polarization, digital populism, disinformation, and algorithmic capture. The article discusses state responses and media governance proposals, emphasizing the urgency of fostering a digitally literate and critically engaged citizenry. The conclusion calls for democratizing the design, regulation, and use of technology as a key axis for strengthening contemporary democracies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Global Statistics ℹ️

Cumulative totals since publication
21
Views
16
Downloads
37
Total
Downloads by format:
PDF (Español (España)) 14 PDF 2

References

Callejón, F. B. (2022). The crisis of the representative democracy in the face of digital democracy. In Law, Governance and Technology Series, 49, 89–102. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07377-9_4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-07377-9_4

Corduwener, P. (2024). A historical turn in the study of media governance: A research agenda for Europe in times of democratic crisis. Media, Culture & Society, 46(7), 1515–1526. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437241254737 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437241254737

Dahlgren, P. (2018). Media, knowledge and trust: The deepening epistemic crisis of democracy. Javnost, 25(1–2), 20–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2018.1418819 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13183222.2018.1418819

Dos Santos, T. A., & Lopes, I. F. (2025). Is social media a democratic forum for public accountability in times of crisis? The Brazilian government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Abacus, 61(1), 194–217. https://doi.org/10.1111/abac.12356 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/abac.12356

Fabiano, D. L. (2023). Representative democracy crisis, e-political participation and civil society awareness: The digital citizenship challenges and the necessary conditions for its introduction. Federalismi.it, 2023(28), 33–54. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85178241315

Feldvári, K., Mičunović, M., & Badurina, B. (2022). Hacking the crisis of democracy: Can media literacy save us from algorithmic modelling of political perception, will and thought? Vjesnik Bibliotekara Hrvatske, 65(2), 23–48. https://doi.org/10.30754/vbh.65.2.971 DOI: https://doi.org/10.30754/vbh.65.2.971

Kwong, Y.-H. (2023). Social media framing in the global health crisis: Pro-democracy versus pro-regime opinion leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong. China Review, 23(3), 185–215.

Morelock, J., & Narita, F. Z. (2021). The society of the selfie: Social media and the crisis of liberal democracy. London: University of Westminster Press. https://doi.org/10.16997/book59 DOI: https://doi.org/10.16997/book59

Navumau, V., Gustafsson, M., & Matveieva, O. (2025). Digital technologies and citizen agency during crises: Democratic engagement in Ukraine and Belarus. In Rethinking Citizenship in Central and Eastern Europe: Insights from Education and Political Research (pp. 109–137). https://doi.org/10.51952/9781529240818.ch006 DOI: https://doi.org/10.51952/9781529240818.ch006

Pérez-Curiel, C., & Rivas-de Roca, R. (2022). Realities and challenges of a democracy in crisis: Impact of disinformation and populism on the media system. In Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies, 259, 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5792-4_10 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5792-4_10

Rao, S. (2018). Making of selfie nationalism: Narendra Modi, the paradigm shift to social media governance, and crisis of democracy. Journal of Communication Inquiry, 42(2), 166–183. https://doi.org/10.1177/0196859917754053 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0196859917754053

Sievi, L., & Pawelec, M. (2025). (How) Should security authorities counter false information on social media in crises? A democracy-theoretical and ethical reflection. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 116, 105093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.105093 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.105093

University of Westminster Press. (2021). UWP-059-final: The society of the selfie: Social media and the crisis of liberal democracy. [Informe completo].

Usher, N., Darr, J. P., Napoli, P. M., & Miller, M. L. (2023). Media policy for an informed citizenry: Revisiting the information needs of communities for democracy in crisis. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 707(1), 8–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/00027162231219550 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/00027162231219550

Villalobos-Antúnez, J. V., Guerrero-Lobo, J. F., Martin-Fiorino, V., Astudillo-Campusano, P., & Caldera Ynfante, J. E. (2023). Digital culture and the information regime: Political governance in times of democratic system crisis. TECHNO Review, 13. https://doi.org/10.37467/revtechno.v13.4817 DOI: https://doi.org/10.37467/revtechno.v13.4817

Ylipulli, J., & Luusua, A. (2021). In search of the alternative future: Developing participatory digital citizenship to address the crisis of democracy. In Proceedings of the Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI). https://doi.org/10.1145/3411763.3441318 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3411763.3441318

Downloads

Published

2026-10-19

How to Cite

Duche-Pérez, A. B., Falconí Picardo, M. T., & Chávez Urquizo, E. N. A. (2026). Beyond Connectivity: Democratic uses and limitations of digital technologies in contexts of democratic crisis. VISUAL REVIEW. International Visual Culture Review Revista Internacional De Cultura Visual, 18(5), 223–230. https://doi.org/10.62161/revvisual.v18.6034

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 5 (2026)

Section

Research articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Authors retain copyright and transfer to the journal the right of first publication and publishing rights

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Those authors who publish in this journal accept the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright.

  2. Authors transfer to the journal the right of first publication. The journal also owns the publishing rights.

  3. All published contents are governed by an Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
    Access the informative version and legal text of the license. By virtue of this, third parties are allowed to use what is published as long as they mention the authorship of the work and the first publication in this journal. If you transform the material, you may not distribute the modified work.

  4. Authors may make other independent and additional contractual arrangements for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the article published in this journal (e.g., inclusion in an institutional repository or publication in a book) as long as they clearly indicate that the work was first published in this journal.

  5. Authors are allowed and recommended to publish their work on the Internet (for example on institutional and personal websites), following the publication of, and referencing the journal, as this could lead to constructive exchanges and a more extensive and quick circulation of published works (see The Effect of Open Access).