Social Media are a Threat for Democracy! A Political Perspective for Analyzing and Diminishing Harm
Itziar Castelló | Bayes Business School | University of London
23/10/2025 12:00
Sala Descubre/Online Teams. Edificio 8E. Acceso J - 4ª Planta | Universitat Politècnica de València. 46022
Abstract: Social media platforms, once hailed as potential champions of dialogue, have evolved into commodified spaces in which their business models incentivize hate speech, misinformation, polarization, and the political fragmentation of society, benefiting corporate and political elites while eroding democracy. The existing market and technological conceptualizations of social media platforms offer only partial analysis of and solutions to these issues. This paper advances a political perspective grounded in deliberative democracy, arguing that social media companies are political actors responsible for maintaining a well-functioning public sphere. We argue that transforming social media platforms into true facilitators of democratic discourse requires enhancing their deliberative capacity. Beyond the capacities of the public sphere suggested by the market and technology perspectives (1) transparency and accountability and (2) openness and inclusiveness; we propose that fostering deliberative capacity also requires (3) conduciveness to argumentation and (4) consequentiality. We thus contribute to understanding how management theories can explain and address current threats to democracy.
Bio: Itziar Castelló is Reader in Sustainability and Digital Economy at Bayes Business School (formerly Cass), City University of London. She is also Head of the Social Purpose Group and Program Director for a new MSc in Environment Social and Governance (ESG) in Management and Finance program. Itziar’s research explores the ways the discourses of sustainability and climate change are framed and constructed, notably in social media but also in other public spheres such as social movements and International Organisations. She uses deliberation, identity, legitimacy and emotions theories to explain how to mobilise for social change. Amongst others, her research appears in the Academy of Management Journal, Research Policy, Journal of Business Venturing, Business Ethics Quarterly, Journal of Management Studies, Business & Society and the Journal of Business Ethics. Itziar’s research was nominated at the Financial Times as 47th out of 100 for significant societal contribution in management from 2015 to 2019. Itziar is Associate Editor of Business & Society.
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