@article{65776,
  abstract     = {{This paper investigates the potential impacts of digitalisation on society and democratic governance through the construction of four realist science fiction scenarios. The study aims to delineate desirable and undesirable digital futures to inform policy discourse and strategic planning. It begins with the outlining of the research basis and methodology, where it employs a methodological synthesis of the Scenario Development Technique from the UN Strategic Foresight Guide and STEEP Analysis. This approach integrates a macro environmental assessment of socio-cultural, technological, economic, environmental, and political dimensions to identify key drivers of change and differences. These are then mapped onto a two-by-two matrix defined by two primary axes. This combination enabled the development of four scenarios examining the impact of digital technologies across these dimensions. The scenarios diverge along two axes. The vertical axis represents the mode of societal organisation and political power (authoritarianism versus democracy). The horizontal axis represents the mode of governance and citizen engagement (representation versus participation). By contrasting these divergent paths, this paper provides a critical framework for analysing how digital technologies intersect with political will and socioeconomic structures.}},
  author       = {{Fuchs, Christian and Museba, Joel and Friesch, Kevin}},
  issn         = {{2732-5121}},
  journal      = {{Open Research Europe}},
  publisher    = {{F1000 Research Ltd}},
  title        = {{{The Futures of Digital Democracy: Four Scenarios}}},
  doi          = {{10.12688/openreseurope.22910.2}},
  volume       = {{6}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}

@article{63076,
  abstract     = {{This paper develops a new concept and framework for understanding resilient digital democracy in an age defined by polarisation, cascading crises, and the global rise of digital authoritarianism. It begins by tracing the concept of resilience from systems theory to social and political life, showing that resilience in democracy is not a mechanical property of systems but a dynamic, human-driven practice grounded in agency, resistance, and collective self-determination. The paper argues that with emerging challenges in the digital sphere, such as misinformation, surveillance capitalism, platform monopolies, deepfakes, and hybrid warfare, democracy can only endure if its digital dimensions are protected and transformed. Building on this foundation, the paper introduces a holistic approach to resilient digital democracy that spans environmental, technological, economic, political, and cultural domains, and advances strategies such as public-commons digital infrastructures, platform co-operatives, public service Internet platforms, free/libre open source software (FLOSS), participatory innovations, and hybrid offline/online democratic practices. The result is a fresh, interdisciplinary vision of how democracy can be reinvented in the digital age.}},
  author       = {{Fuchs, Christian}},
  issn         = {{2732-5121}},
  journal      = {{Open Research Europe}},
  publisher    = {{F1000 Research Ltd}},
  title        = {{{What is and how do we Achieve a Resilient Digital Democracy?}}},
  doi          = {{10.12688/openreseurope.21988.2}},
  volume       = {{5}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}