THE DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP PARADOX: EXAMINING DEMOCRATIC EMPOWERMENT AND EROSION IN HYBRID MEDIA ECOSYSTEMS

บทคัดย่อ

This article critically examines the profound transformation of political culture, moving beyond traditional civic paradigms to reveal the paradoxes inherent in “digital citizenship.” Using a critical interpretive synthesis to analyze the dualistic nature of the contemporary hybrid media ecosystem, the study explores how digital platforms both enable democratic empowerment and intensify severe affective polarization. Platform affordances – particularly algorithmic curation and anonymity – are shown not as neutral tools, but as active agents shaping a new participatory culture that relies heavily on meme and hashtag activism. The analysis also highlights the significant influence of the invisible digital stratum, showing how “dark social” networks and state-sponsored information operations covertly manipulate political narratives and foster insulated ideological enclaves. The research demonstrates that the blurring of boundaries between online spaces and offline mobilization creates a volatile environment where generational “digital tribalism” thrives and emotionality increasingly overshadows classical rationality in political decision-making. While recognizing the potential for transnational connective action, the paper rigorously addresses severe methodological and ethical limitations in current research. It specifically warns against representation bias and the critical shortcomings of big-data analytics in interpreting nuanced human sentiment. Ultimately, this study calls for a de-westernized research agenda, advocating for deep ethnographies of covert digital spaces to fully understand the deeply intertwined and increasingly polarized realities of modern political life.