Sophie Jörg

Democracy by (Tech-)Design? How design decisions promote democratic action

How does the design of social media platforms affect the thoughts and actions of their users? Which design decisions promote ‘democratic action’ and thus strengthen the stability and functionality of liberal democracies? From a philosophical perspective, the project looks at the relationship between design and action and develops a new approach to democratic coexistence in the digital constellation. In order to explain the relationship between design, action and democracy as comprehensively as possible and to reflect on it philosophically, approaches from design theory, action theory and deliberative democracy theory are combined.

By means of a textual exegetical reconstruction of Jürgen Habermas’ political works, structural features conducive to democracy as well as design principles are identified and systematized in the context of digital communication systems.