The Ministry of Truth scrutinizes the information market in the era of the attention economy calling on citizens, public educators and politicians to action in averting the role of BigTech in critical infrastructure. Through phenomena such as influencers, ‘fake news’, and covid conspiracies, the authors reveal how social platforms control facts, feelings and narratives in our time to such a degree that they are the de facto arbiters of truth. BigTech seemingly controls the information infrastructure and also decides what we pay attention to.
The authors suggest hope for a more democratic internet through their systematic analysis of the largest players of the information age. The aim is to amplify human agency for a robust deliberative democracy ― not version 2.0 ― but a lasting version with staying power. This book appeals to the general interest reader and professional invested in the mobilization of responsible technological development.
Vincent F. Hendricks is Professor of Formal Philosophy at The University of Copenhagen. He is Director of the Center for Information and Bubble Studies (CIBS) funded by the Carlsberg Foundation.
Camilla Mehlsen is Digital Media Expert and Spokesperson for the Danish child organization Children’s Welfare. She is author of several books on digital literacy and her work on digital media has been published in various newspapers and magazines.
Author(s): Vincent F. Hendricks, Camilla Mehlsen
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 225
City: Cham
Prologue
BigTech, Big Problems
Acknowledgments
Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
About the Authors
1: From Citizen to User in the Marketplace of Ideas
1.1 Selfie Society
1.2 Markets for New Truths
1.3 The New Marketplace of Ideas
2: From User to Product in the Attention Economy
2.1 The New Asset: Attention
2.2 Information Products
2.3 The Attention Economy Business Model
2.4 Uneven Distribution of Attention
2.5 Good and Bad Information Products
3: Designed Denial: Infodemics and Fake News
3.1 Infodemic
3.2 The Quality of Information Products
3.3 Bias and Bots
3.4 Information that Works and Distorts
3.5 From Information Stimuli to Behavioral Change
4: Boobs and Borderline Content
4.1 The Market for Nudes
4.2 Edgy Content
4.3 Activism or Eyewitnessing
4.4 Napalm Girl Caught in the Net
4.5 The Custodians of History
5: Influencers and Superspreaders
5.1 The Power of Influence
5.2 Superspreaders
5.3 Feed the Algorithm, Eat or Be Eaten
5.4 Ad-dicted
6: Clandestine Casino
6.1 Weapons of Mass Distraction
6.2 Time in the Zone
6.3 The Boom of Online Gaming
6.4 Bounded Rationality and Two Systems
6.5 Big Brother Between Pain and Pleasure
7: Arbiters of Truth
7.1 Shutting Down the News Stream
7.2 “Don’t be Evil”
7.3 Public Space on Private Hands
7.4 Everything but Water
8: What Now?!
8.1 Sober October
8.2 Mobilization
8.3 Individual Mobilization
8.4 Institutional Mobilization
8.5 Ideological Mobilization
8.6 Size Matters
8.7 The Ministry of Truth
References
