The research project “Digital Community Management: Potential for Democratic Institutions” has been launched. The aim of the project is to investigate how government institutions—from local authorities to ministries—can contribute to a more constructive democratic discourse in digital spaces through targeted community management.
The project is being implemented by the Düsseldorf Institute for Internet and Democracy (DIID) in cooperation with Agora Digitale Transformation (ADT). It is made possible by a grant of around €100,000 from Agora Digitale Transformation, which will enable the DIID to carry out the project.
The background to the project is the fundamental change in public communication brought about by digitalization. Polarization, disinformation, and aggressive discussion cultures are increasingly shaping digital debates. While government responses have so far focused primarily on regulation, the project takes a different perspective: it asks how government communication itself can be made more dialogue-oriented, participatory, and trust-building.
The focus is on community management as a proactive approach to public communication. This goes beyond mere moderation and aims to actively involve citizens, promote exchange, and constructively shape digital discourse spaces. Despite its growing importance, government community management has hardly been systematically researched to date—a gap that the project aims to close.
Community management is examined from four perspectives: its contribution to democratic discourse, the status quo of government social media communication, citizens' expectations, and the challenges and best practices of community managers. Methodologically, the project relies on a multi-method design that includes content analysis, focus group interviews, and guided interviews.
The 14-month project started in November 2025. On the DIID side, it is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Marc Ziegele and Dr. Dennis Frieß, with Anna-Maria Linstaedt participating as a research associate. At Agora Digital Transformation, Dr. Vivien Benert and Dr. Torben Klausa are responsible for the project.