Communicating Delegitimisation: Political Information and Challenges to Democracy

Political information that is disproportionately negative and uncivil may increase cleavages in society, fuel cynicism, and erode a shared understanding of factual information. ASCoR’s focus on delegitimising
communication has made an important contribution to our understanding of the nature, context, and potential democratic consequences of such potentially harmful information. Especially in digital settings, information that is at odds with democratic principles and objectivity may be disseminated at a high pace, whilst bypassing gatekeeping and fact-checking routines of established media. Although we conclude that we should be worried about delegitimising communication, discussions about pressing issues such as disinformation, polarisation, and echo chambers may also be harmful, as they can fuel overall and disproportionate cynicism toward (political) communication.