Democracies thrive on well-informed public opinion which demands free media and free flow of information. The digital age was expected to facilitate information empowerment of masses but the opposite has occurred. The initial phase of digital revolution provided diverse sources of news and information and an increase in pluralism. But the present phase, is witnessing highly misinformed and manipulated “choices”. The increasing control of information, now conveniently being termed as ‘data’, has restricted exposure to differing viewpoints and various perspectives of real issues.
Powerful information giants are dominating the cyber space. Global giants are in control of huge amount of data on each one of us- more than what we know about our own self. Our every action right from a search on Google to a ‘Like’ on Facebook reflect our choices and preferences which are collected and analyzed through artificial intelligence, providing immense power to global giants to ‘control’ us and take us in a desired direction.
This kind of control is being hotly debated across the globe to the extent that the future of democracy is under clouds. It is being argued that the voting in democracy is not what you “think” but what you “feel” and feelings are most vulnerable to the manipulations. The control on hearts and minds of people leads to control of every sphere of human life. It is being argued that data colonialism has set in, which in due course will result into ‘global digital dictatorship’ – the end of democracy, the end of freedom of choices, the end of the diverse world of numerous colors making everything grey
The present phase of this information and technological revolution is integration of information technology and biotechnology and advent of artificial intelligence which has acquired immense power of control and influence. What most people don’t realize is that even if you don’t use any Google products directly, they’re still trying to discover as much as they can about you. Google trackers have been found on 75% of the top million websites. This means they're also trying to track most everywhere you go on the internet, trying to slurp up your browsing history! The result of all that tracking is that Google uses your personal profile to sell ads, not only on their search engine, but also on over three million other websites and apps. Every time you visit one of these sites or apps, Google is following you around with hyper-targeted ads, trying to influence your behavior.
https://brainly.in/question/15903034
The future of democracy and the future of freedom are hotly debated subject as of now. It is being argued that the voting in democracy is not what you “think” but what you “feel”. “Free Will” is not free in traditional sense but can be manipulated in desired direction by those who control levers of power (the digital media in present context) and direct people feelings and emotions in desired direction.
Democracies thrive in a diverse and pluralistic flow of information through various channels of information which is getting eroded in the new landscape of era of digital media. Media freedom and pluralism are at the heart of any democracy.
Historian Yuval Noah Harari has put it in this way in his book “21 Lessons for the 21st Century”: “false stories have an intrinsic advantage over the truth when it comes to uniting people. Commercial firms also rely on fiction and fake news. Branding often involves retelling the same fictional story again and again, until people become convinced it is the truth. What images come to mind when you think about Coca-Cola? Do you think about healthy young people engaging in sports and having fun together? Or do you think about overweight diabetes patients lying in a hospital bed? Drinking lots of Coca-Cola will not make you young, will not make you healthy, and will not make you athletic — rather; it will increase your chances of suffering from obesity and diabetes. Yet for decades Coca-Cola has invested billions of dollars in linking itself to youth, health, and sports — and billions of humans subconsciously believe in this linkage.
The drastic decline in plurality and diversity in digital age, the unprecedented acceleration process synchronization of political, economic, social and cultural life has created entirely news scenario and its if difficult to anticipate the implications. The future is uncertain and difficult to predict. The answer is taking shape in the womb of the future. Nothing can be said as of now
Author’s Introduction:
Prof. Subhash Dhuliya
Professor (Culture and Media Studies)
Central University of Rajasthan
