Dear colleagues, We are pleased to invite you to participate in the workshop Democratic Political Orders and the Governance of Social Media Platforms<https://www.su.se/english/research/research-projects/shaping-the-online-public-sphere-how-and-why-do-democracies-regulate-social-media-platforms/call-for-papers-workshop-on-democratic-political-orders-the-governance-of-social-media-platforms-1.851605>, to be held at Stockholm University on 12-13 March 2026, with keynote speaker Samantha Bradshaw (American University, Washington, D.C.). Social media platforms have become an integral part of the public sphere in democratic societies, yet they also present democracies with significant challenges. Algorithmic amplification of misinformation, extremist rhetoric, and hate speech disrupts democratic debate and can drive social and political polarisation. At the same time, states’ efforts to regulate these platforms raise complex questions about democracy, free expression, state intervention, and the role of private corporations in governing the infrastructure of the digital public sphere. The workshop aims to bring together scholars from across the broader political science field, including comparative democracy studies, media studies, political theory, and platform governance, to address questions regarding states’ efforts to govern social media platforms from a democratic perspective. We welcome paper proposals that engage with theoretical or empirical perspectives on the following themes: * Comparative perspectives on the democratic governance of platforms: How do efforts to regulate platforms differ in the way that harms are identified and acted on? Why do democratic states differ in their regulatory approaches? How should efforts to regulate social media platforms be studied from a democratic perspective? * Empirical patterns of platform effects on democracy: What are the consequences for democracy of different regulatory approaches to social media platforms? What are the possible effects of platform design and regulation on political participation and engagement, misinformation dynamics, and polarisation? How do these effects vary across different political contexts? * Democratic theory and platform governance: What is at stake when democratic and regional organisations seek to regulate platforms? What normative problems arise, and which principles should guide governance efforts? How do existing regulatory initiatives align with democratic legitimacy, pluralism, and free expression? We invite paper contributions from scholars in political science, political theory, media studies, and related fields. Please submit an abstract (max 400 words) along with a short bio to ludvig.norman@statsvet.su.se<mailto:ludvig.norman@statsvet.su.se> by 1 November 2025. Notifications of acceptance will be sent shortly thereafter. Best regards, Sandor Adam Gorni (he/him) PhD Student Department of Political Science Stockholm University sandor.gorni@statsvet.su.se<mailto:sandor.gorni@statsvet.su.se> LinkedIn<https://se.linkedin.com/in/sandor-adam-gorni-954455182> [signature_1812229477]