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10 min read germany

We don't know what happens online: German election edition

The country's federal election demonstrates what many know, but few will admit: no one really knows how social media affects how people vote
We don't know what happens online: German election edition
This image was created via DALL·E

GUTEN TAG! WELCOME BACK TO DIGITAL POLITICS. I'm Mark Scott, and Feb 24 marks the three-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Roughly 150,000 people have died so far. For more on what the ongoing war has done to Ukraine, Russia and global relations, read here, here, here and here.

— Germany's federal election will now lead to haggling over a new coalition government. In the aftermath of the Feb 23 vote, social media's impact on voting remains unclear as ever.

— Don't expect the first transatlantic spat over digital regulation to come from social media rules. You should focus on digital competition, data protection and digital services taxes.

— The world almost got a new global tax regime, primarily focused on new levies on Big Tech, over the line. It would have generated $100 billion in additional government revenue a year. It's now kaput.

Let's get started:

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