Freedom and control in the digital age.

Many conceive information and communications technologies (ICT) as providing a free space which bolsters the freedom of individuals. This is because the technologies, and the ways we use them, are thought to be grounded in consent given by individuals. However, it will be argued that individuals, by...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human Affairs Vol. 30; no. 4; pp. 570 - 577
Main Author: Erol, Alkim
Format: Article
Published: De Gruyter 2020
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Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:Many conceive information and communications technologies (ICT) as providing a free space which bolsters the freedom of individuals. This is because the technologies, and the ways we use them, are thought to be grounded in consent given by individuals. However, it will be argued that individuals, by their own self-regulated consent-based actions when using ICT, are actually alleviating their own individual freedoms. This novel phenomenon, which Deleuze and Guattari have drawn our attention to, is a consequence of the de-territorialization and re-territorialization of desires, shaped by power processes, and practiced within Control Societies. This process is disguised as 'choices' made by free and self-aware individuals who give their 'consent'.