Fractured Reality – How Democracy Can Win the Global Struggle over the Information Space
JRC report takes stock and sets out policy recommendations
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission has published the report “Fractured Reality.” The report, to which Anastasia Kozyreva, Ralph Hertwig and Philipp Lorenz-Spreen from the Research Center for Adaptive Rationality made a substantial contribution, examines how digital technologies are reshaping Europe’s information environment.
At its core, the report argues that democracy is increasingly challenged not just by misinformation, but by the fragmentation of shared reality itself. Digital platforms, driven by the logic of the attention economy, systematically prioritize engagement over accuracy, amplifying emotionally charged and polarizing content. This contributes to the emergence of competing realities, undermining the common ground on which democratic deliberation depends. The report highlights how these dynamics are reinforced by structural economic incentives and the frequently non European control of key platforms and infrastructures undermine the integrity of information and weaken open societal exchange.
Against this backdrop, the report formulates a set of policy recommendations. These include the creation of alternative digital public spaces, reforms of existing platform business models, greater user autonomy, and the strengthening of European digital sovereignty through decentralized infrastructures. Together, these measures aim to rebuild a healthier information environment in which democratic processes can function effectively.
Reference:
Scharfbillig, M., Lewandowsky, S., Altay, S., Van Alstyne, M., Kozyreva, A., Hertwig, R., Lorenz-Spreen, P., Diresta, R., Valenzuela, S., Egidy, S., Quattrociocchi, W., & Orben, A. (2026). Fractured reality: How democracy can win the global struggle over the information space Publications / Joint Research Centre. Publications Office of the European Union.
https://doi.org/10.2760/9358883
Further information:
• Publication "Fractured Reality”: JRC Publications Repository - Fractured reality
• JCR press release (April 16, 2026): Fractured reality: how algorithms fuel polarisation and affect democracy - Joint Research Centre
