Title: “Algorithmic democracy: citizen participation and public opinion in hyper-digitalised contexts”

Editors: Daniel Innerarity (UPV/EHU y EUI), Carlos Saura Garcia (Universitat Jaume I) y Patrici Calvo (Universitat Jaume I).

Submission deadline: 31 August, 2025.

Publication: 1 October, 2026.

Languages: English, Spanish, Valencian.

The increasing datafication and algorithmisation of every sphere of modern societies are causing structural changes in the way democratic systems work. The datafication and algorithmic colonisation of all aspects and activities of society has become a double edged sword in the proper functioning of democracies in digitally hyper-connected democratic societies.

On the one hand, the huge potential of data exploitation technologies and algorithms makes them highly sought-after tools for the institutional and organisational systems that make up states and civil society. However, the negative impacts that the improper and irresponsible use of these instruments can have on multiple aspects of our societies mean they can seriously jeopardise the ability of democratic systems (governance, democratic processes, public opinion, participation, etc.) to function properly.

In recent years, scholars have analysed, explored and investigated the various ways in which the digitalisation, hyper-connectivity, datafication and algorithmisation of modern societies can positively and negatively affect the way democratic systems function. The subject of this special edition, “Algorithmic democracy: citizen participation and public opinion in hyper-digitalised contexts”, sets out to analyse the range of possibilities, impacts and consequences that algorithmic colonisation can have for democratic systems.

We invite contributions to this monograph in the form of theoretical-practical and/or hermeneutic-critical studies related to democratic models based on algorithms and their application, and the impacts this application can have on democracy, politics, governance and civil society in the development of systems and societies. Related topics include:

 

1. Algorithmic democracy
2. Surveillance democracy
3. Augmented democracy
4. Citizen representation and participation in hyper-digitalised contexts
5. Datafication and algorithmisation of the public sphere and public opinion
6. Use of digital twins, virtual political representatives and generative AI in democracy
7. Biases and discrimination of algorithmic colonisation
8. Ethical challenges of democratic system algorithmisation
9. Digital sovereignty, digital expansionism and digital authoritarianism
10. Large digital corporations, surveillance capitalism and digital democracy
11. Regulating the impacts of AI innovations
12. Systems of algorithmic governance