About the Event

The 2026 midterms have shifted the balance of power in Washington. Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, and the tech industry’s influence over the U.S. government may be weakening. Some observers see a delayed backlash against social media and growing concerns about AI as part of the explanation.

Yet underlying problems have not gone away. Partisan division remains stark. Faith that citizens share a common set of facts keeps eroding. Political violence is on the rise. Research confirms that social media intensifies all of these challenges to democracy and can facilitate political intimidation and violence as well.

In this discussion, we bring together a US expert on social media, media, and tech and a German professor focused on online hate and violence to discuss some of the troubling aspects of politics in our digital era. We ask how constant online hostility changes the way citizens see each other and see democracy. And we will discuss what needs to change to make our digital societies more supportive of democracy.

Speakers

• Paul M. Barrett is a journalist, adjunct professor at the New York University School of Law, and former Deputy Director of the Center for Business and Human Rights at NYU Stern School of Business. He has written extensively about the role and responsibilities of the social media industry in a democracy, as well as the risks associated with artificial intelligence. At the Center, he co-authored the reports “How Social Media Facilitates Political Intimidation and Violence” and “How Social Media Intensifies Political Polarization.”

• Prof. Gülay Çağlar is a SCRIPTS professor and Professor of Gender and Intersectionality Studies at Freie Universität Berlin. She is leading a new project, “Caught in the Crossfire,” which examines political cyberviolence and how democratic institutions respond to it. Its focus includes digital violence against politicians, its effects on political participation, how institutions deal with such attacks, and how democratic resilience can be strengthened.

• Moderator: Rachel Tausendfreund, Senior Research Fellow for USA/Transatlantic Relations, DGAP

About the Series

This event is part of the series "Remaking America? Contesting Visions from Trump and Beyond", a cooperation between DGAP and the Cluster of Excellence “Contestations of the Liberal Script” (SCRIPTS) at Freie Universität Berlin. The series brings together leading thinkers, scholars, and policy experts from the United States to assess the emerging ideas and political factions reshaping American democracy and foreign policy—and their consequences for Germany and Europe.

Attending the Event

Please register here to attend the event in person. Registered participants will receive a confirmation email with further information.

For questions, please contact events@dgap.org.

Please note that photographs and video recordings will be taken during the event. DGAP may use this material for public relations purposes in print and online, including on social media. Further information on data processing is available here.