---
res:
  bibo_abstract:
  - 'This paper explores one of the defining political questions of the twenty‐first
    century: will digital technologies strengthen democracy or accelerate new forms
    of authoritarianism and fascism? Against the backdrop of platform capitalism,
    AI‐driven communication, surveillance infrastructures, disinformation and democratic
    crisis, the study asks how experts in digital democracy assess the present condition
    and possible futures of digital society. To address this question, the paper draws
    on the Futures of Digital Democracy Survey (FDDS), a two‐round international expert
    survey involving researchers, practitioners and civil society actors working in
    the fields of digital democracy, media, Internet governance and digital society.
    Combining futures research, scenario analysis, and qualitative and quantitative
    content analysis, the study investigates competing trajectories of digital development
    ranging from participatory digital democracy to corporate and state‐controlled
    digital fascism. The findings reveal a profound tension at the heart of contemporary
    digital society: while respondents overwhelmingly imagine an ideal future democracy
    in participatory and deliberative terms—centred on citizens’ assemblies, digital
    participation, public‐service Internet platforms and democratic AI—they simultaneously
    express deep pessimism about the actual direction of digital capitalism and platform
    power. Experts consider authoritarian and fascistic digital futures significantly
    more likely than democratic ones. The paper analyses these contradictions by examining
    the relationship between deliberative democracy, constitutional rights, platform
    governance, digital commons, public service media, AI, surveillance and the political
    economy of Big Tech. It argues that democracy in the digital age can only survive
    if participatory and deliberative digital structures are institutionally combined
    with constitutional safeguards, public ownership, democratic regulation and the
    defence of human rights. By bringing together debates on digital democracy, authoritarianism,
    political economy and digital futures, the paper offers both a critical diagnosis
    of the contemporary digital condition and a normative vision of democratic alternatives
    in the age of AI and platform capitalism.@eng'
  bibo_authorlist:
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Christian
      foaf_name: Fuchs, Christian
      foaf_surname: Fuchs
      foaf_workInfoHomepage: http://www.librecat.org/personId=21863
    orcid: 0000-0003-0589-4579
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Kevin
      foaf_name: Friesch, Kevin
      foaf_surname: Friesch
  - foaf_Person:
      foaf_givenName: Joel
      foaf_name: Museba, Joel
      foaf_surname: Museba
  bibo_doi: 10.1002/poi3.70054
  bibo_issue: '3'
  bibo_volume: 18
  dct_date: 2026^xs_gYear
  dct_isPartOf:
  - http://id.crossref.org/issn/1944-2866
  - http://id.crossref.org/issn/1944-2866
  dct_language: eng
  dct_publisher: Wiley@
  dct_title: Digital Futures Between Participatory Digital Democracy and Participatory
    Digital Fascism@
...