Seeing the forest – and the trees: The global challenge of regulating social media for democracy

TY - JOUR

T1 - Seeing the forest – and the trees

T2 - The global challenge of regulating social media for democracy

AU - Nyabola, Nanjala

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

PY - 2023/10/27

Y1 - 2023/10/27

N2 - The political implications of social media sites are finally receiving sustained attention. These sites both reinforce and undermine democracy, challenging regulators to balance positive developments and curb negative developments while being attentive to multilateral and international implications. This article maps this regulatory challenge, beginning with the emergence of the sites in order to understand the type of response that might be required of policymakers. The historiography allows for an actor-network analysis of the terrain, highlighting the characteristics of individual sites that together trigger the need for more holistic regulation. The article then examines the impact of social media on both individuals and institutions to emphasise that the actor-network both shapes and is shaped by actor action. Moving beyond a false dichotomy to see social media as neither purely good nor purely bad, the article frames the complexity of the regulatory ecosystem, and invites regulation that aims for a utopic outcome.

AB - The political implications of social media sites are finally receiving sustained attention. These sites both reinforce and undermine democracy, challenging regulators to balance positive developments and curb negative developments while being attentive to multilateral and international implications. This article maps this regulatory challenge, beginning with the emergence of the sites in order to understand the type of response that might be required of policymakers. The historiography allows for an actor-network analysis of the terrain, highlighting the characteristics of individual sites that together trigger the need for more holistic regulation. The article then examines the impact of social media on both individuals and institutions to emphasise that the actor-network both shapes and is shaped by actor action. Moving beyond a false dichotomy to see social media as neither purely good nor purely bad, the article frames the complexity of the regulatory ecosystem, and invites regulation that aims for a utopic outcome.

KW - social media

KW - democracy

KW - elections

KW - Africa

KW - digital technology

KW - United States

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85174922306&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1080/10220461.2023.2270461

DO - 10.1080/10220461.2023.2270461

M3 - Article

VL - 30

SP - 455

EP - 471

JO - South African Journal of International Affairs

JF - South African Journal of International Affairs

IS - 3

ER -