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Foreword
Social media took center stage in discussions about U.S. politics and civic life during and after the 2020 presidential election. President Trump and his allies used Twitter and other tools to develop and advance the false narrative that the election had been stolen. Right-wing extremists organized on social media platforms to storm the U.S. Capitol on January 6 and briefly halted the official electoral vote count. Ultimately, Twitter and Facebook deplatformed the former president, sparking debates about the power these platforms have over speech online.
Is social media increasing political polarization in the U.S. and in other nations? Are conspiracy theorists and movements like QAnon incubating on social platforms? Can the algorithms of social media drag unsuspecting users into extremism? In short, is social media bad for democracy? …
