Much speculation exists regarding how social media impacts the health of
democracies. However, minimal scholarly research empirically examines the effect
social media has on democracy across multiple states and regions. Thus, this article
analyses the effect social media and disinformation transmitted over social media
have on democracy. The findings from a cross-national, time-series analysis of 158
states from 2000–2019 indicate that different types of social media usage have
varying effects on democracy. General social media consumption, the presence of
diverse political viewpoints on social media, and the use of social media in political
campaigns bolster democracy. However, social media disinformation, online
political polarization, and the use of social media to organize offline violence
reduce overall levels of democracy. In addition, a mediation analysis is conducted
to identify the precise linkages between social media disinformation and
democracy and indicates that government and political party disinformation impact
democracy by weakening key democratic norms.