Despite the consensus that social media are changing communication, no such consensus exists when it comes to assessing the effects that the emerging social network services may have on political participation. While optimistic assumptions point toward increased interest and the fostering of social engagement through the use of online social networks, the more skeptical view expects an exacerbation of the trend toward dwindling political interest and increasing political apathy, as manifested, for example, in declining voter participation and party membership. The present study argues that the contradictory assessments are due to different definitions of participation, which themselves reflect changing notions of democracy. Based on representative survey data, the analysis focuses on the relationship of media use and various forms of political participation, examining whether the former ideal of "collective action" is being replaced by the notion of "connective action" (W. Lance Bennett), which puts more emphasis on participatory action as an act of personal expression across trusted social networks.

CMC Staff

Maren B. M. Beaufort (Project Leader, Contact)

Josef Seethaler

Cooperation Partners

Brian D. Loader, University of York, Department of Sociology (Congress Organisation: “Digital Media, Political Polarization and Challenges to Democracy”)

Congress Organisation

Digital Media, Political Polarization and Challenges to Democracy - an International Symposium (with the University of York), Vienna, 21-22 September 2017

ORF DialogForum „Wer ist das Volk? [Who are the People?]“ - Public Lecture mit W. Lance Bennett, University of Washington (with the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation ORF), Vienna, 21 September 2017

Changing Media – Changing Democracy? Exploring the Democratic Potential of Social Media. 20th Anniversary Conference of the Institute for Comparative Media and Communication Studies (CMC) along with the 4th Research Conference of the Austrian Research Association – Working Group on Democracy and the 2014 Workshop of the “Network Media Structures”, Vienna, 6-7 November 2014

In the Media

Comment on the lecture by W. Lance Bennett in: Falter, 04.10.2017

Maren Beaufort and Josef Seethaler on social media and political engagement: Ö1 – “Digital.Leben“, 25.01.2016

20th Anniversary Conference of CMC on Youtube, 10 November 2014 

Publications and Lectures

Books and Monographs

  • Digital media, political polarization and challenges to democracy. / Beaufort, Maren (Herausgeber:in).
    London, New York: Routledge, 2019.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Changing media – changing democracy? Exploring the democratic potential of social media (= Relation – Communication Research in Comparative Perspective, Vol. 5). / Eberwein, Tobias (Herausgeber:in); Wenzel, Corinna (Herausgeber:in).
    Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences Press, 2019. (Relation – Communication Research in Comparative Perspective).
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Digital media, political polarization and challenges to democracy. Special issue of Information, Communication & Society, 21(7). / Beaufort, Maren (Herausgeber:in).
    2018.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Participation. Special Issue "Communications. The European Journal of Communication Research", Vol. 37(3). / Stark, Birgit (Herausgeber:in); Lunt, Peter (Herausgeber:in).
    New York/ Berlin: De Gruyter, 2012. 120 S.
    RISENWBIB

Articles and Book Chapters

  • Navigating User Rights and Regulatory Challenges in Europe’s Information Ecosystem: Balancing Freedom of Expression [in press]. / Beaufort, Maren.
    Research Handbook on Social Media Governance . Hrsg. / Petros Iosifidis; Nicholas Nicoli. Cheltenham, UK/Northampton, MA, USA: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2026.
    RISENWBIB
  • Models of democracy, participation behaviour and media use. A methodological approach: Poster. / Beaufort, Maren; Seethaler, Josef; Klimkievicz, Beata.
    75th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA). Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW), CMC, Research Group: Media, Politics & Democracy (MePD), 2025.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Models of Democracy, Participation Behaviour and Media Use: A Methodological Approach. / Beaufort, Maren; Seethaler, Josef; Klimkiewicz, Beata.
    16 S. Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW). 2025, Accepted Peer-Reviewed Full Paper for the 75th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) Disrupting and Consolidating Communication Research`.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Different Notions of Democracy as Determinants of Participation Behaviour and Media Use. / Beaufort, Maren.
    27 S. Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW). 2025, Accepted Peer-Reviewed Full Paper for the 75th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) Disrupting and Consolidating Communication Research`.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Bringing Values Back In: An Analytical Model to Promote Democracy. / Beaufort, Maren.
    26 S. Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW). 2025, Peer-reviewed full paper accepted for the 75th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA), 2025.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Demokratieverständnis als Determinante von Partizipationsverhalten und Informationsnutzung: Zusammenhänge und Messmethoden [Different Understandings of Democracy as Determinants of Participation Behavior and Information Usage]. [accepted, publication 2025]. / Beaufort, M.
    in: SWS - Rundschau, Nr. 1, 08.01.2025, S. k.A.
    RISENWBIB
  • Democratic societies in the digital age: What role for personalized data services? [in press, 2024]. / Beaufort, M.; AIT, Austria Institute of Technology (Herausgeber:in).
    Safeguarding European values and global competitiveness in the digital space. Data sovereignty – ensuring agency and control in the digital space – for individuals, companies, societies and states. Vienna, 2025. S. n/a.
    RISENWBIB
  • New legislative push for independent broadcasting. In European Audiovisual Observatory. / Beaufort, Maren.
    IRIS Merlin. 2025, Lexikalischer Beitrag.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • The Understanding of Democracy as Determinant of Participation Behavior and the Use of Information. / Beaufort, Maren.
    in: SWS-Rundschau, Nr. 65 (1), 01.01.2025, S. 62-76.
    RISENWBIB
  • Informationskompetenz und der digitale öffentliche Raum - Die Relevanz von Informationskompetenz in Online-Kommunikationsräumen aus demokratiepolitischer Perspektive. [Information Literacy and the Digital Public Sphere - A Democratic Perspective on Information Literacy in Online Communication Spaces]. / Beaufort, M.; Struber, W. (Herausgeber:in); Rauschenberger, S (Herausgeber:in) et al.
    Medienkompetenzbericht 2023. Wien: RTR, 2023.
    RISENWBIB
  • Exploring users’ perspectives against the backdrop of changing notions of democracy. / Beaufort, Maren.
    37 S. OEAW, CMC (Institute) - Media, Politics & Democracy (Working Group). 2023, Accepted full paper following international peer review for the 73rd Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA)..
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Von kollektiver zu konnektiver Logik? Mediennutzung und politisch-gesellschaftliche Beteiligung im Zeit- und Ländervergleich [From collective to connective logic? Media use and political participation across time and countries]. / Beaufort, Maren; Seethaler, Josef; Eisenegger, M. (Herausgeber:in) et al.
    Digitaler Strukturwandel der Öffentlichkeit: Historische Verortung, Modelle und Konsequenzen. Wiesbaden: Springer VS, 2021. S. 399–420.
    RISENWBIB
  • "Ordinary people still have voices in the public sphere": Zur Logic of Connective Action von W. Lance Bennett und Alexandra Segerberg. / Seethaler, J.
    in: Medien und Zeit - Kommunikation in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart, Jahrgang 35, Nr. 3, 01.12.2020, S. 40-43.
    RISENWBIB
  • Digital media, political polarization and challenges to democracy. / Beaufort, Maren; Beaufort, Maren (Herausgeber:in).
    Digital media, political polarization and challenges to democracy. London, New York: Routledge, 2019. S. 1-7.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Digital media, political polarization and challenges to democracy. / Beaufort, Maren.
    in: Information Communication and Society, Jahrgang 21, Nr. 7, 17.09.2018, S. 915-920.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Kontakt mit Andersdenkenden im Social Web: Chance oder Gefahr für die politische Partizipation? Ergebnisse einer Befragung österreichischer UserInnen [Disagreement in social media: Chance or threat for political participation? Results of a survey among Austrian users]. / Riedl, Andreas; Bertel, Diotima (Herausgeber:in); Himmelsbach, Julia (Herausgeber:in) et al.
    Junge Perspektiven auf Partizipation in Geschichte und Gegenwart: Beiträge zur ersten under.docs - Fachtagung zu Kommunikation [Young perspectives on participation in the past and the present]. Wien: danzig & unfried, 2016. S. 300-323.
    RISENWBIB
  • Wandel der Mediennutzung – Wandel im politischen Verhalten? [Changing media use–Changing political participation?]. / Beaufort, Maren; Seethaler, Josef.
    in: MedienJournal, Jahrgang 38, Nr. 1, 15.04.2014, S. 15-41.
    RISENWBIB
  • The mediation of civic participation: Diverse forms of political agency in a multimedia age. / Kaun, Anne; Lunt, Peter; Van Zoonen, Liesbet et al.
    Transforming audiences, transforming societies. 2013.
    RISENWBIB

Research Papers

  • The Audience Matters: Some (Radical?) Thoughts on Future Perspectives for Public Service Media. / Beaufort, Maren.
    Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW), 2026. 14 S.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Traces into the Future: UNESCO's Struggle for a Democratic, Citizen-Centered Media Policy. / Beaufort, Maren; Seethaler, Josef; Schulz-Tomancok, Andreas et al.
    Austrian Academy of Sciences (OEAW), 2026.
    DOIRISENWBIB
  • Assessing the Signatories' COVID-19 Reports / Executive Summary. / Beaufort, Maren.
    Florence, 2021.
    WebsiteDownloadRISENWBIB
  • Zivilgesellschaft – wer ist das? Fakten, Auswertungen und Ergebnisse der vom Forschungsinstitut Zivilgesellschaft im Jahr 2016 und 2017 durchgeführten empirischen Studie unter 1.500 TeilnehmerInnen in Österreich ]Who is the civil society? Facts, analysis, and results of the empirical study realized by the Research Institute of Civil Society in the years 2016 and 2017 with 1500 participants from Austria]. / Schaffar, Andrea; Martin, Andy; Gerhardus, Anna et al.
    Wien, 2017.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Media Exemption: Protecting Editorial Independence or a loophole for disinformation? [accepted, 08.09.2022]. / Beaufort, M.; Nenadic, I.; Brogi, E.
    Florence, 2022.
    RISENWBIB
  • Measuring Disinformation in a Self-Regulatory Environment. [accepted, 08.09.2022]. / Beaufort, M.; Brogi, E.; Bleyer-Simon, K.
    Florence, 2022.
    RISENWBIB

Lectures

  • Vienna

    Out of the box: The external perspective – Audiences & citizens

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Unterberger, K. (Speaker)

    17 Feb 2026

  • Vienna

    Democracy and participation: Changing expectations of media’s communication performance. Presentation at the UNESCO Conference: The Future is Public.

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    21 Nov 2025

  • Denver, Colorado

    Different Notions of Democracy as Determinants of Participation Behaviour and Media Use: Theoretical Considerations, Correlations and Methodological Approach. Full Paper Presentation (In-Person) at the 75th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) Disrupting and Consolidating Communication Research.

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    14 Jun 2025

  • N/A

    Information Literacy as a Pillar of Democracy.

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    24 Apr 2025

  • Berlin

    Different Notions of Democracy as Determinants of Participation and Media Use. Presentation at the 70th Annual Conference of the Deutschen Gesellschaft für Publizistik- und Kommunikationswissenschaft e. V. (DGPuK) `Öffentlichkeit(en) und ihre Werte` [Public Spaces and Values]. Berlin, Deutschland.

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    20 Mar 2025

  • N/A

    Challenges and Perspectives: What makes liberal democracies last? Presented at the Eye of Europe Pilot Workshop 'Democracy – a long term project? Foresight/AIT

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    27 Feb 2025

  • Prague

    Exploring users` perspective: Different Notions of Democracy as Determinants of Social Media's Roles in Participation and Information Usage Behaviour. Presented at the ReMeD-Conference "Resilient Media for Democracy in the Digital Age". Prag/Tschechische Republik

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    10 Feb 2025

  • Berlin

    Politische Gestaltung von Medienstrukturen Ein Modell zur Analyse der rechtlichen und (selbst)regulatorischen Rahmenbedingungen in den Mitgliedsstaaten der Europäischen Union

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker) & Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    14 Sep 2023

  • Aarhus

    Lessons learnt from “Covid-19-Reporting”

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    22 Oct 2022

  • Florence

    Conference of the European Media Observatory (EDMO): Information Session on Structural Indicators for EDMO-Hubs under the EU Digital Europe Programme

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    14 Feb 2022

  • Wien

    Digital und sozial, aber demokratisch? Soziale Online-Netzwerke and politische Partizipation [Online networks and political participation] [online; postponed from 2020]

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    11 May 2021

  • Wien

    Vom Pluralismus zur Kakophonie – Kann die Demokratie die Schrumpfung der herkömmlichen Mainstream-Medien überstehen? [From pluralism to cacophony - Can democracy survive the shrinking of traditional mainstream media?][online]

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    16 Dec 2020

  • Athens

    Social media use, young Europeans and their political selves (postponed)

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    5 Jun 2020

  • Lucerne

    Von kollektiver zu konnektiver Logik? Eine vergleichende Untersuchung des Verhältnisses von Mediennutzung und politischer Beteiligung [From a collective to a connective logic? Comparing media use and political participation across time and countries]]

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker) & Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    30 Nov 2018

  • Mannheim

    Soziale Netzwerkmedien als Institutionen? Ein Gedankenaustausch aus Anlass des Schader-Preises 2018 an Otfried Jarren [Social network media as institutions? A discussion on the occasion of the award of the Schader Prize 2018 to Otfried Jarren]

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    11 May 2018

  • Lugano

    Rechtspopulismus, politisches Informationsverhalten und Vertrauen in den Journalismus – ein innereuropäischer Vergleich, 2011-2017 [Right-wing populism, political information use, and trust in journalism - A European comparison, 2011-2017]

    Beaufort, M. ((Co-)Author) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    13 Apr 2018

  • Vitznau

    Medienwandel - Öffentlichkeitswandel - Wandel der Demokratie [Media change - change of the public sphere - change of democracy]

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    6 Apr 2018

  • Vitznau

    Bericht der Fokusgruppe "Integration & Vielfalt" [Report of the focus group "Integration & Diversity"]

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker), Pfetsch, B. (Contributor) & Esser, F. (Contributor)

    6 Apr 2018

  • Vienna

    Changing media – Changing democracy, or: Changing democracy – Changing media?

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    21 Sep 2017

  • Vitznau

    Medien und Öffentlichkeit in historischer Perspektive [The media and the public sphere in historical perspective]

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    6 Apr 2017

  • University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona

    Citizen participation, social media use, and the shift in political trust: Results from a European survey

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    24 Nov 2016

  • Minneapolis

    Social media and civic engagement: Results from a European survey

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker) & Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    5 Aug 2016

  • University of York

    Europe's youth on the move: Online communication, civic engagement, and connective action

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker) & Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    19 Jul 2016

  • Arizona State University, Phoenix

    The long way from technical to social connectivity: Exploring the digital divide in 15 European countries

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker) & Beaufort, M. ((Co-)Author)

    21 Oct 2015

  • Rovinj

    Change in media use - Change in political participation? A cross-national comparative study

    Beaufort, M. ((Co-)Author) & Seethaler, J. ((Co-)Author)

    3 Oct 2015

  • Montreal

    Can social networks help to foster participatory democracy? A comparative analysis in 15 European countries

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    16 Jul 2015

  • State University, St. Petersburg

    Putting social media in context: The interconnections between media systems, social media use, and political participation

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    24 Apr 2015

  • Bamberg

    Social Media und politische Beteiligung: Zur Notwendigkeit einer theoretischen Neubestimmung des Partizipationsbegriffs [Social media and political participation: Towards a refined theoretical framework for participation]

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    24 Jan 2015

  • Wien, Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften

    Wie soziale Online-Netzwerke politische Beteiligung verändern [How social online networks change political participation]

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    6 Nov 2014

  • Universität Zürich

    Von Kollektivität zu Konnektivität? Soziale Medien und politische Beteiligung [From collectivity tp connectivity? Social media and political participation]

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    12 Apr 2014

  • Klagenfurt

    From Collectivity to Connectivity? Social Media and Political Behavior

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    18 Dec 2013

  • Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt

    Von kollektivem zu konnektivem Handeln? Medienwandel und politische Folgen [From collective to connective action? Media change and political consequences]

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    18 Oct 2013

Popular Publications

  • Warum für Faktenchecks weiter "online first" gelten muss [“Online First” in Fact-Checking]. [Interview mit Max Gilbert]. / Beaufort, M.
    in: München: Bayrischer Rundfunk. Faktenfuchs, 10.10.2024.
    RISENWBIB
  • Medien- und Informationskompetenz: Das Netz und die Demokratie [Media and Information Literacy: The Internet and Democracy]. [Interview mit Stefan Kappacher]. / Beaufort, M.
    in: Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF). oe1.ORF.at, 05.01.2024.
    WebsiteRISENWBIB
  • Von neuen Formen der Kommunikation zu neuen Formen der Partizipation–oder umgekehrt? [From new forms of communication to new forms of participation–or vice versa?]. / Beaufort, Maren; Seethaler, Josef.
    in: Texte: Öffentlich-rechtliche Qualität im Diskurs, Jahrgang 20, 21.09.2017, S. 24-35.
    WebsiteDownloadRISENWBIB
  • "Wenn der Tratsch in Hass umschlägt, ist Feuer am Dach" [Interview]. / Seethaler, Josef.
    in: Salzburger Nachrichten, 19.12.2015.
    RISENWBIB

Popular Talks

  • Klagenfurt

    Wie unterschiedliche Demokratiemodelle mit dem Informationsnutzungsverhalten zusammenhängen [How Different Models of Democracy Interact with Information Usage Behavior]

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker)

    12 May 2025

  • Wien

    Die große Gereiztheit [Radiodiskussion mit Nadja Hahn (Ö1) und Ursula Maier-Rabler (Universität Salzburg) unter der Leitung von Golli Marboe]

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    26 Sep 2020

  • Vienna

    Partizipation in einer mediatisierten Gesellschaft II [Participation in a mediatized society II]

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    4 Sep 2019

  • Vienna

    The digital gap

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    2 Jul 2019

  • Wien

    Partizipation in einer mediatisierten Gesellschaft I [Participation in a mediatized society I]

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    26 Jun 2019

  • Wien

    Journalismus und Partizipation [Journalism and participation]

    Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    7 Dec 2017

  • St. Wolfgang

    Digitale Solidarität und Partizipation

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    22 Mar 2017

  • Wien

    Vielbeschworene Solidarität - die Einheit in der Vielfalt finden [Interview mit Juliane Nagiller zu Social Media und Partizipation]

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    15 Aug 2016

  • Wien

    Verdrossen, aber politisch: Social Media-Engagement ist kein Lippenbekenntnis [Interview mit Raffael Fritz]

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    15 Jan 2016

  • Innsbruck

    Auswirkungen von Social Media auf politische Partizipation [impact of social media use on political participation]

    Beaufort, M. (Speaker) & Seethaler, J. (Speaker)

    23 May 2014