This paper presents a novel approach to understanding the phenomenon of digital echo chambers and their role in exacerbating political polarization on social media platforms. Despite the contested nature of the echo chamber metaphor, its implications for public discourse and democracy are significant. Our research employs an agent-based model (ABM) to simulate the dynamics of social media interactions that foster these echo chambers, focusing particularly on the principle of homophily.

Our ABM integrates advanced concepts such as "epistemic echo chambers" and "curation bubbles," which highlight how users selectively share and curate information that reinforces their existing beliefs. This model allows us to explore how cross-cutting information could potentially disrupt or reinforce echo chambers, providing a granular analysis of user interactions within digital platforms. By addressing both micro-level behaviors (individual biases and information seeking) and macro-level structures (network dynamics and information flows), our study maps the complex landscape of digital polarization.

The theoretical framework posits that echo chambers are not merely spaces of ideological homogeneity but are actively constructed through user interactions that are influenced by both psychological biases and the structural affordances of social networks. Preliminary results from our study indicate that while social media can offer diverse viewpoints, the overwhelming trend is towards increasing polarization facilitated by platform algorithms and user preferences.

This research contributes with insights of the mechanisms that underpin echo chambers and offers insights into potential strategies for mitigating their impact on society, emphasizing the need for a nuanced approach to digital platform governance and design.

This study examines the Brazilian podcast market to understand how the subject of "politics" circulates on streaming platforms. Specifically, it will show how certain programs lean toward the left or the right end of the political spectrum and, furthermore, it will describe how left-wing agents organize within this market.

This is a relevant discussion since political polarization in Brazil has intensified during the last decade, materialized on disputes around a legitimate ‘vision of Brazil’ to define the future of the country – i.e., around values of equality or dispositions of conservative-liberal ideologies.

By means of a technographic analysis of four streaming services (their recommendations through lists and through search results), a corpus of analysis of 533 programmes has been set.

The results showed that the services prioritize economic rather than political criteria, returning more recommendations that originate from traditional media. Moreover, left-leaning podcasts quantitatively more suggested than right-leaning, but, in terms of audience reach, the recommended right-leaning podcasts tend to gather greater numbers.

Thus, right-wing media outlets and influencers seem to organize more effectively to explore the podcast market, while left-wing individuals and institutions diversify across numerous channels that often struggle to maintain continuity.

To challenge the ahistorical framing of disinformation as a novel phenomenon, this paper employs a historical case study approach to the phenomenon of misogynoir—a term coined by Moya Bailey to describe the unique intersection of anti-Blackness and misogyny experienced by Black women. By situating misogynoir within the broader history of racialized disinformation, this study illuminates the enduring mechanisms through which misinformation and disinformation operate, particularly in the service of maintaining power hierarchies and marginalizing certain groups.

The contemporary media environment is marked by profound disruptions, particularly in how young people engage with and trust digital platforms. This paper situates these shifts within the broader theme of ruptures, conceptualizing them as both discontinuities in media consumption and broader epistemological breaks in young people’s relationship with (digital) media, trust, and platform power. We focus on how digital platforms shape youth attitudes toward news credibility, the ethical responsibilities of media organizations, and the increasing individualization of responsibility—the notion that users themselves are solely accountable for navigating opaque and exploitative digital ecosystems. Our study draws on qualitative insights from the research project Digital maturity of youth: social needs and informal education of youth in the digital age, in which 41 young people (aged 16-24) were interviewed to explore their media practices and identify their needs, while addressing the deficits of their experiences and the shortcomings within changing digital media landscape. Building on scholarship in media studies, digital sociology, and critical platform studies, we argue that the erosion of institutional trust and the rise of platform-mediated epistemologies constitute a rupture in how young people conceptualize media credibility, power, and agency. On the backdrop of qualitative thematic analysis, these ruptures manifest as 1. cynicism toward digital media and social platforms, 2. heightened but paradoxical expectations for legacy media, and 3. individualization of responsibility (internalized responsibility) for digital well-being.