A Review of Algorithmic Governmentality’s Impact on Political Communication from a Critical Theory Perspective
Technology is frequently perceived as possessing both positive and negative effects on humans and society. This study focuses on the connection between algorithms, a critical and ubiquitous aspect of digital life, and internet technologies in the realm of political communication. Employing a critical theory perspective, which holds significant weight in communication sciences and serves as a crucial element in the development of political psychology, this analysis delves into the matter. The relationship between media-politics and human beings from past to present has been analysed through The Dialectic of Enlightenment and One-Dimensional Human texts. It is important to note that abbreviations for technical terms shall be explained upon first use. Furthermore, the conceptualisations of “secondary self” and “algorithmic governmentality” have been employed to comprehend the impact of internet technologies on human life and to contextualise other contemporary thoughts. Some of the key findings of the study are as follows: Human beings tend to have sympathy for authoritarian ideas, which is reinforced by the culture industry. Internet technologies have worsened this influence by further amplifying the one-dimensionality in society. The structure of algorithms that process personal data has facilitated the production of consent by displaying personalised targeted content. In light of these outcomes, this study examines (a) the latest form of the culture industry in the context of technology; (b) the reinforcing effect of technology on unidimensionality; (c) how internet technologies fragment the self and create a second self; and (d) the impact of algorithmic governmentality on individuals’ preferences and voting behaviours.
Eleştirel Teori Perspektifinde Algoritmik Yönetimselliğin Siyasal İletişime Yansımaları Üzerine Bir İnceleme
Teknoloji insan ve toplum için çoğu zaman hem faydalı hem de zararlı olarak görülmektedir. Çalışma kapsamında internet teknolojileri ile dijital yaşamın vazgeçilmez bir parçası haline gelen algoritmaların siyasal iletişimle olan bağlantısı incelenmektedir. İncelemede özellikle politik psikoloji disiplininin gelişmesinde önemli rol oynayan iletişim bilimlerinde de önemli bir yere sahip olan eleştirel teorinin perspektifinden yararlanılmıştır. Aydınlanmanın Diyalektiği ve Tek-Boyutluİnsan metinleri geçmişten bugüne medya-siyaset ve insan ilişkisini anlamlandırmada kullanılmıştır. Ek olarak “ikincil benlik” ve “algoritmik yönetimsellik” kavramlaştırmaları ise internet teknolojilerinin insan hayatındaki karşılığını anlamlandırmak ve söz konusu diğer metinleri günümüz düşünceleri ekseninde tartışmak için kullanılmıştır. Çalışmada öne çıkan noktalardan bir kısmı şu şekilde özetlenebilir; İnsan çoğu zaman otoriteryan düşünceye sempati duymaktadır. Ortaya çıkan bu sempati kültür endüstrisi aracılığıyla desteklenmektedir. Kültür endüstrisi toplumdaki tek boyutluluğu güçlendirirken internet teknolojileri bu gücü daha da arttırmıştır. Algoritmaların kişisel veriler üzerinden hareket eden yapısı, kişiye özel hedeflenmiş içeriklerin gösterilmesi noktasında rızanın imalatını etkili bir hale getirmektedir. Tüm bu çıktılar ışığında bu çalışma; (a) kültür endüstrisinin teknolojiyle çevrelenmiş son formunu ele almakta; (b) teknolojinin tek-boyutlulaşma üzerindeki güçlendirici etkisini tartışmakta; (c) internet teknolojilerinin benliği nasıl parçalayarak ikinci bir benlik ortaya çıkardığını ele alarak (d) algoritmik yönetimselliğin kişilerin tercih ve oy verme davranışlarındaki etkisini sorgulamaktadır.
Andrew Feenberg, an eminent philosopher of technology, defines technology as a pharmacon. This characterisation suggests that technology is both beneficial and harmful to social life. As a philosophical concept that questions the construction of social reality through ideologies, propaganda, and media, the importance of critical theory to communication studies cannot be overlooked.
As individuals interact with their society, they develop an intellectual identity through education and participation in artistic and cultural events. However, several studies suggest that as technology develops, the media are able to transcend intellectual identity through persuasion and the manufacture of consent. This issue is examined through two important concepts in critical theory: the culture industry and the notion of a one-dimensional society. The culture industry is a project of enlightenment that facilitates oppressive and totalitarian systems. According to this perspective, society undergoes a transformation and its critical and intellectual capacities become limited over time, and individuals, followed by society, are reduced to one-dimensionality.
The concept of the ‘culture industry’, which explores how culture influences political life and human behaviour, shows how social thought is influenced by cultural spaces such as the media. In his work, Herbert Marcuse discusses the new mass society observed in modern society, which shares similar patterns of thought and follows the development of the culture industry and technology. Although the work brands the conformist and uncritical members of modern society as irrational, it also explores how advancing technology shapes society and how ideologies come together to create a system that demands the continued stability of existing authoritarian rule. Various techniques and practices can be used by the technology and culture industries to manufacture consent. Changes in everyday life and norms driven by technology spill over into the social, cultural, and political spheres. The conceptualisation
of algorithmic governmentality was put forward by Antoinette Rouvroy and Thomas Berns in 2013, using a different approach to Foucault’s concept of governmentality. According to them, algorithms have come to dominate human behaviour. Algorithms have automated the process of predicting, guiding, and controlling behaviour - processes that were previously necessary to produce consent. As the guidance data is derived from personal data filtered through algorithms, the likelihood of success increases every day.
Byung Chul Han defines the Quantified Self as the quantification of qualitative human data in this new era. Sherry Turkle defines the Second Self as the use of technological tools to prepare oneself for the process of persuasion, and to transmit oneself in a way that corresponds to the numbers 0 and 1. The concept of the second self, first introduced in 1984 in the text of the same name, has become more relevant with the increasing presence and importance of social media and smart devices in people’s lives. However, it has become an even more important topic of discussion, particularly in relation to Han’s notion of the quantified self. Turkle claims that technology is no longer limited to human action, but has become a tool associated with human cognition and thought. At a time when human informatisation had not yet become a reality, Turkle made valuable predictions and conclusions in computational psychology. In the twentieth anniversary edition of the book, Turkle explains that the technology in question is currently at a threshold where it cannot be classified as either animate or inanimate. In today’s world, where the capacity for human reflexivity is beginning to be implanted in systems that turn humans into data and automation, Turkle and Rouvroy’s insights into these technologies have become even more relevant.
Qualitative content analysis is a method that aims to interpret predetermined concepts and categories by organising and interpreting the harmony and differences that exist within them in a way that is meaningful to the target audience. It can also be defined as filtering and categorising the mass of data on a topic. Descriptive analysis, which is recognised as a type of qualitative content analysis, is a research method that provides descriptions based on the limitations of the research topic. This method can transform data on social understanding and grouping into scientific knowledge that cannot be evaluated by other qualitative or quantitative methods. This study will first examine the impact of the media on individuals and society based on the discipline of political psychology. From this perspective, the research will conclude by analysing the impact of algorithms on human life and decision-making behaviour, while addressing changes in the media and cultural industries.
