Digital disengagement: How social media amplifies rather than mitigates democratic crisis in Greece (1996-2023)

This study examines the escalating crisis of electoral abstention in Greece (1996-2023) through comprehensive correlation analysis integrating economic indicators, digital media penetration, and democratic participation metrics from multiple international databases. Using mixed-methods analysis combining quantitative correlation analysis with qualitative thematic examination, the research investigates whether political disengagement primarily represents economic crisis effects or reflects digital communication amplification. Statistical analysis reveals that economic crisis severity maintains the strongest negative correlation with electoral participation (r = -0.847, p < 0.001), while social media usage demonstrates systematic moderate negative correlation with voter turnout (r = -0.521, p < 0.05). Critically, interaction effects indicate that digital media amplifies rather than mitigates crisis-induced disengagement (β = -0.234, p < 0.001). Temporal analysis identifies critical inflection points where traditional democratic engagement mechanisms deteriorated, with particularly strong effects during Greece's 2009-2015 economic crisis and 2020-2023 pandemic-driven digital acceleration. International comparative analysis demonstrates that Greek patterns, while more severe, reflect broader trends affecting Western democracies, with similar correlation structures observed across US and UK contexts. The findings challenge theoretical assumptions about technology's democratizing potential, suggesting that digital platforms absorb political energy through communicative expression while systematically undermining institutional participation. This study contributes empirical validation for contemporary theories of democratic crisis while providing policy-relevant insights into mechanisms through which economic hardship and digital transformation interact to reshape democratic engagement patterns.