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Internet's Impact on Democracy: Risks & Benefits

The document discusses both the risks and benefits of the internet for democracy. It outlines several key benefits, including increased access to information which empowers citizens and allows for greater participation. The internet also enables new forms of direct e-democracy consultation and participation between citizens and representatives. However, it also notes several risks, such as the spread of fake news online and increased manipulation of information by governments around the world to distort discussions and suppress dissent. Additionally, social media can contribute to greater political polarization as people isolate themselves in "echo chambers" of like-minded opinions. In conclusion, while the internet provides opportunities, people must learn to identify fake news and seek out a diversity of views in order to maximize its benefits for democracy.

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21 views2 pages

Internet's Impact on Democracy: Risks & Benefits

The document discusses both the risks and benefits of the internet for democracy. It outlines several key benefits, including increased access to information which empowers citizens and allows for greater participation. The internet also enables new forms of direct e-democracy consultation and participation between citizens and representatives. However, it also notes several risks, such as the spread of fake news online and increased manipulation of information by governments around the world to distort discussions and suppress dissent. Additionally, social media can contribute to greater political polarization as people isolate themselves in "echo chambers" of like-minded opinions. In conclusion, while the internet provides opportunities, people must learn to identify fake news and seek out a diversity of views in order to maximize its benefits for democracy.

Uploaded by

arianna
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Final essay: What are the risks and benefits of internet for democracy?

The question of whether the internet helps or harms democracy has caused much
controversy over the last decade. Actually, the question cannot be answered because
there is no specific theory. Those who believe that the internet helps democracy can
identify a number of interrelationships, while those who believe the opposite will
point to opposite examples.

The first benefit brought by democracy is undoubtedly the access to information,


which is therefore the main instrument of citizen participation in a democratic
system. It is fundamental for the existence of an informed electorate, for the proper
functioning of the political and electoral process. Throughout the world, the internet
can empower people to become informed, discover debate, advance democratic
values and share them. This is possible thanks to online newspapers, social media,
and platforms, such as Wikipedia, wich is a famous example of how a large number
of people, can be allowed to concentrate freely information on an immense range of
topics.

Another plus point for using the internet is the e-democracy, which is any form of
democracy that also uses information technology to directly consult citizens. E-
democracy and e-participation have a direct impact on the relationship between
citizens and elected representatives/politics in general that is no longer interlinked
through elections, rare direct contacts or sporadic assemblies. Through the
participatory tools of e-democracy representatives can re-connect to their electoral
derictly to deliberate on their preferences and to evaluate their interests for political
choices to be made.
An example of the use of e-democracy is [Link], the official site of the United
States government, which is a directory that links to every federal and state agency.

Furthermore, another advantage is amplifying important voices and issues. Online


participation and citizens' initiatives could play an increasingly important role in
today's civil society. Social media is making it easier for people to share their stories,
express support to each other and build strength.

Despite the advantages, people must also consider the risks. A first example is the
sharing of fake news. In online platforms, anyone can write a thought, but it’s
important to look at the negative aspects of this freedom. Potentially, today, anyone is
able to create fake news. In Italy, some studies have shown that there is a lot of fake
news in the scientific field, in particular in 2020 most of the fake news in the
scientific field concerned Covid-19, with obvious impacts on people's health.
Another crucial issues is that governments around the world have dramatically
increased their efforts to manipulate information on social media. The Chinese
and Russian regimes usually use methods to distort online discussions and suppress
dissent more than a decade ago, but the practice has gone global. Online content
manipulation contributed to a a decline in internet freedom, because of physical and
technical attacks on human rights defenders and independent media.
Manipulation and disinformation tactics played an important role in elections in at
least 17 other countries over the past year, damaging citizens’ ability to choose their
leaders based on factual news and authentic debate.

One last risk is the polarisations of opinions due to the deleterious political effects of
social media. People tend to lock themselves in 'echo chambers' where they only
come into contact with opinions similar to their own.
The Internet reduces contact between people with different points of view and
increases political polarisation, and this tend to bring together like-minded people,
making them even more similar in this respect than they were before.

In conclusion, the internet can bring many benefits but also many risks, people should
learn to distinguish fake news, inform themselves on the right platforms and analyse
different points of view in order to make the internet contribute to freedom.

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