Lessons for civic educators

Digital information spaces have become part of the civic environment itself. People encounter political claims, public institutions, social conflicts and electoral messages through platforms that shape what becomes visible, credible and shareable. For civic educators, this is no longer a side issue, but a part of the context in which democratic understanding is formed.

This NECE & COMPASS online session on technology, trust and democratic participation brought together experts working on information ecosystems, public opinion, digital strategy, and EU policy. The aim was to examine how online communication affects democratic life in Europe and what civic educators can take from current examples across the continent.

Ruslan Trad opened the discussion with an overview of disinformation trends in Europe and the wider neighbourhood. He described an information space in which narratives move quickly across borders, drawing on Russian, Chinese, far-right, far-left, and locally adapted sources. A particular concern was the targeting of young people through platforms such as TikTok, Telegram and Facebook. These spaces often combine anti-establishment, anti-immigration, nationalist and extremist content in ways that are difficult to classify through conventional political categories. The discussion also underlined how online narratives can produce offline consequences, including forms of intimidation and violence.

Benjamin Haußmann then reflected on the relationship between polling, turnout and electoral strategy, using the Hungarian context as a case for analysis. His contribution showed why election polling must be read with care. Polls may capture voting preference, while the harder question is who will actually vote. This matters especially when young voters, rural constituencies, and uneven electoral systems play a significant role. The broader lesson for democratic actors is that public opinion cannot be understood only through national-level figures. Electoral geography, voter motivation and the distribution of campaign resources also shape outcomes.

Martina Orlea brought a practical perspective on digital campaigning and civic communication. She proposed a simple framework for structuring digital strategy: awareness, persuasion and conversion. Each stage requires a different objective, different measures of success and different types of content. Awareness depends on reach. Persuasion requires repetition, short-form video and clear messages. Conversion requires a precise call to action. Her contribution was especially useful for civil society organisations working with limited time and budgets. It showed that digital communication benefits from discipline, planning and a clear understanding of where people already spend their attention.

Sophie Pornschlegel added the EU policy perspective. She outlined current developments around civil society and media funding, the Digital Services Act, regulation of political advertising, AI and data policy, and the EU’s Democracy Shield initiatives. Her contribution made clear that regulation exists, but implementation remains uneven. The role of member states, pressure from large technology platforms, and the question of European digital sovereignty remain central to how effectively democratic systems can respond to online manipulation and foreign interference.

The session concluded with an interactive part led by Maja Nenadović, inviting participants to connect these issues to their own experiences. This was an important shift in the discussion. Technology affects democracy through institutions, platforms and elections. It also affects people through daily encounters with information, uncertainty, anger, trust, and doubt.

For civic educators, the session offered a grounded set of questions. How do young people encounter political messages online? How can educators help learners understand manipulation without deepening cynicism? How can civil society communicate clearly in digital spaces without adopting harmful tactics? What forms of regulation, public funding and civic practice are needed to support healthier democratic participation?

The video recording of the session is available below.

Moderator

Alessandra Cardaci: Senior project leader & facilitator with 12 years of international experience in political communications, citizen engagement, and multi-stakeholder coordination.

Experts

Ruslan Trad: Researcher on information operations, disinformation narratives, security-related topics, and hybrid warfare from Syria to Eurasia. Editor, Security and Defense, Capital. Non-Resident Fellow at DFRLab.

Benjamin Haußmann: Data Scientist, voter analysis, election prediction and data-driven campaigning.

Martina Orlea: Chief of staff and strategy manager at Electica, working with tech startup ecosystems across 2 continents.

Sophie Pornschlegel: Policy analyst & Researcher, working on EU democracy, rule of law and institutions.

Maja Nenadović: Monitoring, evaluation, and programme design specialist, dialogue facilitator, civic education and human rights trainer.

NECE is financially supported by the German Federal Agency for Civic Education | bpb and led by THE CIVICS Innovation Hub.

This event is co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.