Fractured reality
How democracy can win the global struggle over the information space
The report examines the evolving impact of digital technologies on European democracy. In an era of a global struggle to control the information space, this report offers critical insights into the fracturing of perceived realities, the rise of the ”fantasy-industrial complex,” and the systemic risks posed by the attention economy. It exposes how platforms algorithmically prioritise engagement over accuracy, reinforcing ideological echo chambers and amplifying mis- and disinformation that erode democratic resilience. The report highlights how structural incentives and foreign control of
the most important players in the information space undermine information integrity, collective knowledge and civic discourse. In response, the report presents a number of recommendations from fostering alternative public spaces and crowd-sourced knowledge systems to reforming business models, restoring user agency, and advancing EU digital sovereignty through decentralised infrastructure.
SCHARFBILLIG Mario;
LEWANDOWSKY Stephan;
ALTAY Sacha;
VAN ALSTYNE Marshall;
KOZYREVA Anastasia;
HERTWIG Ralph;
LORENZ-SPREEN Philipp;
DIRESTA Renee;
VALENZUELA Sebastian;
EGIDY Stefanie;
QUATTROCIOCCHI Walter;
ORBEN Amy;
2026-04-09
Publications Office of the European Union
JRC144603
978-92-68-38011-6 (online),
1831-9424 (online),
EUR 40652,
OP KJ-01-26-115-EN-N (online),
https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC144603,
10.2760/9358883 (online),
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