New Digital Dark Age

For researchers, social media has always shown more access to data, more democratic participation in the production of knowledge, and a great deal of transparency in social behavior. Understanding what happens – especially during political crises, important media events or natural disasters – was easy to look at a platform like Twitter or Facebook. However, in 2024, this will no longer be possible.

In 2024, we will face a dark digital age, as social media operating systems are departing from web logic 2.0 to one of the content produced by AI. Companies have rushed to the rush of large -scale language models (LLM) in online services, completely with illusion (inaccurate, unjustified answers) and mistakes, which have broken our trust in online information.

Another aspect of this new dark digital age is due to the inability to see others. Twitter was pulled once with readable emotions from his users. Social researchers liked Twitter data, relying on it, because this approximation provided a significant approach to how much Internet users behave. However, Elon Mossak has now removed the researchers from Twitter after announcing free access to the API of the platform. It is difficult to obtain data needed to research issues such as public health, responding to natural disasters, political activities and economic activities. It was a difficult reminder that modern Internet was never free or democratic, but rather a wall and controlled.

Closer collaboration with platform companies does not respond. x, for example, Has submitted a lawsuit In front of independent scholars who pointed to the increase in hatred speech on the platform. Recently, it has also been found that researchers who have used Facebook and Instagram data to study the role of operating systems in the 2020 US election “Independence with permission“By meta. This means that the company chooses to share its projects with them, and while the research may be independent, the meta also controls what kind of questions you are asked and who asks them.

In the United States, India, Mexico, Indonesia, Britain and the European Union in 2024 elections, there is a lot of stock. So far, online ”Observatory” Independent Supervision Social media software platforms for evidence of manipulation, illegal behavior and harmful content. However, a change in data access by social media operating systems as well as the explosion of inaccurate artificial intelligence information means that scholars and journalists have not worked in previous national elections to monitor online activities. One of my own collaborations, AI4TRUST, is developing new tools to combat the wrong information, but our efforts have been stopped because of these changes.

We need to clean our online operating systems. The Digital Hate Coping Center, a Research, Lawyer and Policy Organization that is trying to prevent the spread of hate and online information calls for its adoption The star frame (Design safety, transparency, accountability and responsibility). This ensures that digital products and services are safe before launch. Increase the transparency of algorithms, law enforcement and advertising. And try to make companies accountable to both democratic and independent institutions and take responsibility for eliminating and damaging measures. The EU digital service law is a step towards the right direction, including regulations to ensure that independent researchers can monitor social networking operating systems. However, these regulations take years for it to be practical. The British Online Safety Bill – which fully follows its way through the policy process – can also help, but again, these regulations are implemented. Until then, the transfer of social media to intermediary information means that in 2024, a new dark digital age will probably begin.