Communicating Democracy: the EuroPCom podcast on public communication

Democracy in the digital age

17min | 06/06/2025

Description

About the podcast

The EuroPCom podcast series on public communication is produced by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) in close cooperation with the EuroPCom partners.

Host:

Evi Kiorri, Journalist | Multimedia Producer | Podcaster

Guest:

Ike Picone is Associate Professor and head of the Department of Communication Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and is also part of the international team working on the annual Digital News Report of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford.

In this episode:

Technology can improve or undermine democracy depending on how it is used and who controls it. Right now, it is controlled by too few. The collection of vast amounts of information about user preferences and responses, combined with the use of very targeted behavior modification techniques, enable the manipulation of citizens’ choices. Persuasive technologies built using AI are capable of refining and shaping public opinion with a reach and power that has never been seen before. How can democratic institutions counter this dynamic? What is the future of democracy in the digital age?

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EuroPCom 2025 | European Committee of the Regions

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Description

About the podcast

The EuroPCom podcast series on public communication is produced by the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) in close cooperation with the EuroPCom partners.

Host:

Evi Kiorri, Journalist | Multimedia Producer | Podcaster

Guest:

Ike Picone is Associate Professor and head of the Department of Communication Sciences at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and is also part of the international team working on the annual Digital News Report of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford.

In this episode:

Technology can improve or undermine democracy depending on how it is used and who controls it. Right now, it is controlled by too few. The collection of vast amounts of information about user preferences and responses, combined with the use of very targeted behavior modification techniques, enable the manipulation of citizens’ choices. Persuasive technologies built using AI are capable of refining and shaping public opinion with a reach and power that has never been seen before. How can democratic institutions counter this dynamic? What is the future of democracy in the digital age?