Track 9: Stakeholder Engagement, Beneficiary-centrism and Public Participation through Digital Platforms

The massive adoption of social media and digital platforms by organizations and citizens has affected many social activities and the relationship between government and society. This widespread adoption increased information spread and interaction, facilitating governmental communication and service delivery. At the same time, potential negative impacts on the population heightened the government’s concerns about the challenges of monitoring, algorithm transparency, content moderation, and the regulation of such platforms.

In this context, the Track accepts papers that make theoretical and practical contributions, present innovative approaches, include case studies, and offer other perspectives on the use of digital media by governments and society. It welcomes papers investigating the role of social media and digital platforms in enhancing and promoting government activities, including communication and engagement strategies, and using social media data. Track particularly welcomes studies on co-creation through digital platforms, including collaborative policy design, co-delivery of services, feedback-driven governance models, and beneficiary-centric participation mechanisms. It also invites studies on the operation of social media and digital platforms, including algorithmic mechanisms, content moderation practices, efforts to combat illegal or harmful content, the risks of filter bubbles, and their influence on democracy, social movements, and trust in governments.

Submissions addressing platform governance and accountability mechanisms are particularly welcome. Topics of interest include but are not limited to the use of social media and digital platforms in public policies, such as education and health policies; adoption of social media and digital platforms to communicate and engage with society; regulation and initiatives to fight against misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, fake news and deep fakes; impacts of digital media on democracy, trust and citizens’ rights; the role of transparency and accountability in platform governance, and the use of digital media data for crisis and emergency management, such as geolocation and AI-based interventions. Papers presenting real-world experiences, regulatory responses, and applied governance challenges related to digital platforms are encouraged.