AI and the digital public sphere

Antonio Santangelo, Nexa Center for Internet & Society - Politecnico di Torino

Torino, 27 June 2019

SOME KEYWORDS

• Formation of public opinion

• Circulation of news

• Gatekeepers and opinion leaders

• Disintermediation

• Foreign influence on electoral campaigns

• Social networks

• Microtargeting

• Political advertising

• Dark ads

• Transparency

• Bots

• Eco chambers

• Filter bubbles

• Brexit

• …

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The end of the «bourgeois public sphere» (Habermas 1962)

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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE BOURGEOIS PUBLIC SPHERE

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END OF THE BOURGEOIS PUBLIC SPHERE

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Rational social space of equal people

Media / «objective» information Media / «objective» information Media / «objective» information

Media / «objective» information Media / «objective» information Media / «objective» information

Media / «objective» information

Media / «objective» information

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Rational social space of equal people

Media / «objective» information Media / «objective» information Media / «objective» information

Media / «objective» information Media / «objective» information Media / «objective» information

Media / «objective» information

Media / «objective» information

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IDEOLOGY

EMOTION

PLUTOCRACY

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DISTOPIANON PLURALIST MASS MEDIA SYSTEM:

THE PROBLEM

UTOPIAPLURALIST PERSONAL MEDIA SYSTEM:

A SOLUTION

MONITORING CITIZEN

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RETURN TO THE BOURGEOIS PUBLIC SPHERE?

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POLARIZATION

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Filter bubble

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ECO CHAMBERS

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IS THIS DUE TO THE WAY OF

FUNCTIONING OF THE PERSONAL

MEDIA SYSTEM?

IS THERE ANYTHING NEW?

WHICH HISTORICAL AND

CULTURAL REASONS HAVE

PRODUCED THIS SITUATION?

ARE WE SLAVES OR MASTERS OF

THIS SITUATION?

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OUR SOCIAL SPACE ISA MEDIUM

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THE MEDIUM IS THE ALGORITHM

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MEDIA “MEDIATE”

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ALGORITHMS OF DIGITAL PLATFORMS

MEDIATE TWICE

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AUTHOMATIC MEDIATION

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• Algorithme Popularité (number of visualizations): Google analytics

• Algorithme Autorité (number of links): Page Rank Google

• Algorithme Réputation (number of likes): Facebook, retweet Twitter

• Algorithme Prédictif (traces): Amazon, YouTube, Netflix, personal advertising

ALGORITHMS HELP US FIND WHAT WE ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR

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PREDICTIVE ALGORITHMS

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• WE GIVE MORE VALUE TO WHAT WE ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR…

• …HENCE KNOWING WHAT WE ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR IS VERY VALUABLE, AS IT LETS OTHER PEOPLE KNOW WHAT TO SELL US

MASS COMMUNICATION

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MICROTARGETING

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MORE ENGAGEMENT, MORE PARTICIPATION

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DARK ADS

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PAR CONDICIO?

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• Algorithme Popularité (number of visualizations): Google analytics

• Algorithme Autorité (number of links): Page Rank Google

• Algorithme Réputation (number of likes): Facebook, retweet Twitter

• Algorithme Prédictif (traces): Amazon, YouTube, Netflix, personal advertising

POPULARITY ALGORITHMS

AUCTORITY ALGORITHMS

REPUTATION ALGORITHMS

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HOW TO FORM ONE’S OWN OPINION?

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ALL THE DIFFERENT CULTURAL MODELS

#NoMeat

vegan,

vegetarian

#YesMeat

industrial

production

Hand made

traditional

production

High quality

scientific

production

PREDICTIVE ALGORITHMS: TRACES FROM THE PAST

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BEYOND THE BORDERS

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TO MAXIMISE

THE WEALTH OF WHOM?

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A NEW USE OF AI

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PREDICTING WHAT YOU MISS