Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), in a consortium with 15 academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and international associations (led by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), has secured funding for a two-year Horizon Europe program project entitled “Advanced Simulations for Testing the Effect of the Information Environment on the Functioning of Democracy” (WHAT-IF) under the Horizon RIA instrument (call HORIZON-CL2-2024-DEMOCRACY-01-06).
The project’s scientific focus is to transfer traces of participants’ digitized experiences in the contemporary media environment into a simulated environment to investigate how information choices influence democratic processes, such as political voting or expressing opinions on social media. This research will provide policymakers with practical tools to consider and test the impact of various interventions, such as fact-checking training, quality journalism development, and regulatory decisions, on the media repertoire of information consumers and the quality of democratic life.
This project is innovative in its efforts to bring together the best practices of the digitization process in problem areas identified by social scientists. These areas include increased social polarization, radicalization of views, conflicts, and the particularly important role of contemporary media and information in supporting these issues through manipulation, an abundance of information and disinformation, and a decline in trust in traditional media.
The VMU research team consists of Prof. Auksė Balčytienė, a senior researcher at the V. Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute, and Lina Auškalnienė, a lecturer in the Department of Public Communications. Participation in the project will strengthen the V. Kavolis Transdisciplinary Research Institute’s competencies in researching the information environment, democratic processes, and media policy. It will also open up new opportunities for international cooperation and scientific leadership.
More information about the project is available here.
