Digital connectivity: an asset or a threat to democracy?

Abstract

All technology is ambiguous, according to J. Ellul (1954). Digital devices are no exception to this rule. On the one hand, they give free rein to our ‘desire to chat’ (Habermas, 2020) and allow unfiltered access to the public space, which is a democratic advance; on the other hand, these digital devices are ‘dissolving the boundaries’ between public and private space, contributing to a ‘fragmentation of public space’, ‘destabilising traditional media’ at the heart of the proper functioning of public space, and creating a ‘semi-public, fragmented and circular discussion’ (Habermas, 2022). In line with this criticism, this text makes two points. The first is that it is too early to tell whether the promises of democratisation brought about by digital connectivity will be fulfilled. On the other hand, given the current dangers associated with the economic infrastructure that supports digital connectivity, it is the ethical responsibility of researchers to denounce the voluntary servitude orchestrated by GAFAM.