Keywords:
advertisement regulation, digital media literacy, multinominal regression analysis, personalised political advertising, political transparency in political communication and messaging
Abstract
This study explores the realm of personalised political advertising, examining societal perspectives on clear regulation, enhanced transparency, and empowerment in the digital media sphere. Analysing existing international literature and responses from our own unique survey of 1,213 participants in the Czech Republic, it provides a detailed picture of public perceptions towards the customisation of political messages and control over online content. Findings indicate a significant demand for transparency in the adaptation of political messages, coupled with apprehension towards personalised content, highlighting privacy and manipulation concerns. The research shows divided opinions on the necessity of stringent regulations for targeted political ads, yet there is broad agreement on the importance of disclosing advertising sources and labelling ads clearly to enhance awareness. The study also reveals that most respondents feel they have limited control over the content they encounter online, though a minority report feeling more in control than the content providers. Furthermore, by employing multinomial regression analysis, the paper finds age, gender, and education as key predictors influencing perceptions of potential risks related to personalised political advertising. This investigation sheds light on the complexities of digital personalisation in political communication, offering insights for future policy and regulation.
Author Biographies
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Václav Moravec, Charles University
Václav Moravec isthe lead coordinator of the Central European Digital Media Observatory (CEDMO). He works as an Assistant Professor at the Institute of Communication Studies and Journalism, Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University and at the Department of Production, FAMU, Prague. He specialises in the transformation of audiovisual media, journalistic ethics, automated journalism, and journalism with artificial intelligence. He is the author or co-author of several books, e.g., COVID-19 Infodemic (Academia, 2022), Transformations of Journalistic Ethics (2020), Media in Liquid Times (2016),and many articles in scholarly journals.
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Nik Hynek, Charles University
Nik Hynek, Ph.D. (Bradford) is Professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University in Prague. In the past, he worked within the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a researcher and established there a research centre on security. He was a visiting research scholar at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at the Columbia University in New York; The London School of Economics and Political Science; Australian National University; PRIO; Carleton University in Ottawa; and Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto.
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Beáta Gavurová, Technical University
Beáta Gavurová is a Professor in the study field Management and Economics of Enterprises. Her research activities are focused on the support of creation of health, social, and environmental policies, sustainable development processes, solving issues of regional disparities and discrepancies at the national as well as international level and so on. She is the author of multiple methodologies and expert studies aimed at solving societal issues within a framework of ministerial and interministerial collaboration.
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Matúš Kubák, Technical University
Matúš Kubák is an economist and academic specialising in the application of quantitative methodologies and explanatory research in economics. His recent scientific work has primarily focused on using experimental economics to interpret socio-economic phenomena, health economics, financial literacy, and efficiency analysis in public procurement and selected areas of the public sector.
How to Cite
Václav Moravec, Nik Hynek, Beáta Gavurová, & Matúš Kubák. (2025). Digital Dilemmas: Evaluating the Ethics and Efficacy of Personalised Political Advertising in Modern Democracies.
Communication Today,
15(2), 30-51.
https://doi.org/10.0000/wc0g1a48
