<![CDATA[The development of digital technology and social media has brought significant changes to the public sphere and the mechanisms of democratic deliberation. Social media now plays a crucial role as a platform for discussion, interaction, and political mobilization, potentially replacing or even revolutionizing traditional political forums. This study examines the phenomenon of the virtualization of the public sphere by reviewing theories on the transformation of deliberative spaces in the digital era, and assesses the extent to which social media can substitute conventional political forums.This research adopts a theoretical approach and literature analysis to explore the dimensions of engagement, participation, and the challenges faced by social media as a space for digital democratic deliberation. The findings indicate that social media represents a dynamic and promising arena for strengthening deliberative democracy, but it also encounters serious challenges such as polarization, misinformation, filter bubbles, information manipulation, digital divides, and the difficulty of reaching consensus and compromise in online spaces.This article also discusses the implications of these findings for political communication theory, political practices in the digital age, and the role of both government and civil society in managing these changes. It is hoped that this article will contribute to a better understanding of the role of social media in political communication and its implications for democracy in the digital era.]]>
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