Die Zeit – Zerstört das Internet die Demokratie, Ralph Hertwig?

In the ZEIT podcast ‘Nur eine Frage’ (Just one question), Ralph Hertwig, Director of the Center of Adaptive Rationality, discusses the various effects of digital media on democratic societies.

Has the internet evolved from a democratic incentive to a threat to democracy? Ralph Hertwig, director of the Center for Adaptive Rationality, discusses this question in the ZEIT podcast ‘Nur eine Frage’ (Just a question). He emphasises that digital media can have both positive and negative effects. On the one hand, they facilitate access to information, thereby promoting political participation and making different perspectives visible. On the other hand, studies show correlations with growing polarisation, loss of trust in institutions, and the spread of hate and misinformation. In the interview, he also explains that research into these effects is difficult because platform operators only grant limited insight into their algorithms and real social processes can hardly be studied under controlled conditions.

Full podcast: Die Zeit | 28.01.2026 (German)

Youtube video version of the podcast: Die Zeit | 28.01.2026 (German)