GTPF Research Published in New Feltrinelli Volume: Democracy on the Margins
The Global TechnoPolitics Forum (GTPF) is pleased to announce the publication of new research by Pari Esfandiari in the edited volume Democrazia ai margini. Disinformazione e manipolazione dell’opinione pubblica nell’era digitale, edited by Giovanni Boccia Artieri and published by Feltrinelli in November 2025.
This volume explores how democratic processes are being reshaped in the digital era, moving beyond traditional institutional arenas into the hybrid spaces of the “post-public sphere.” In these environments, platforms like YouTube, Telegram, X, Reddit, and other fringe spaces become central infrastructures where the lines between truth and narrative blur, and where algorithms and engagement metrics shape the boundaries of political discourse.
GTPF’s contribution to the book focuses on the role of conspiracy theories in this new media landscape. The research provides a multidisciplinary analysis of how conspiracy narratives have evolved and how digital platforms and algorithmic systems enable them to persist, scale, and gain political relevance. Rather than viewing conspiracy theories as anomalies, the chapter situates them as structural responses to broader epistemic and institutional shifts in a fragmented information ecosystem.
The volume as a whole brings together cutting-edge research on disinformation, participatory cultures, fringe platforms, and the new forms of networked power emerging at the margins of the public sphere. Other contributions address topics such as algorithmic cartography, the role of artificial intelligence in shaping visibility, and emblematic case studies that illustrate how the margins have become laboratories of symbolic and political innovation.
GTPF’s involvement in this publication underscores its dedication to rigorous, interdisciplinary research on the evolving challenges of digital democracy and public discourse, aligning with its broader mission to explore the intersection of technology, media, and governance.
