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„Vom Like-Button zur Wahlurne“ - Politische Partizipation im Zeitalter von Social Media

The Dutch political scientist Jan van Deth highlights the relevance of political participation of citizens for a democratic society: "When you say democracy, you mean participation". However, it is often unclear exactly what is meant by the emotionally charged concept of political participation. In the context of this event we want to address this topic from a scientific and practical perspective. The question is whether and how political participation works on the net and what effects it has. Bloggers, YouTuber and Instagram-Stars use the net as a tool to inform about political content and thus influence young people significantly.
Why do established parties lag behind? And why do fake news, conspiracy theories and right-wing content spread much faster on the net? Questions of the possibilities, effects and implications of political participation via social media are the focus of this event.

During the event, Prof. Dr. Caja Thimm, Professor of Media Science and Intermediality at the University of Bonn and spokesperson of the NRW Graduate College and the research association "Digitale Gesekkschaft", as well as Patrick Schiffer, former chairman of the Pirate Parties, media designer, human rights activist and spokesperson of the Green Party in Düsseldorf Flingern will discuss the entry of social media into the political landscape.