Abstract
The Great Digital Transformation is not just a matter of technology. It is a matter of socio-historical change on a foundational level. As the etymological trace of logos in “technology” implies, it is a feat of human reason, and therefore a fundamentally social enterprise. Even the most venerated technological geniuses relied on scientific or commercial feats achieved through the complex human knowledge systems before them. Technology, therefore, can only be properly understood through its embeddedness in broader social practices. Hence, the Great Digital Transformation is best approached through socio-technical analysis that can holistically engage technology while retaining focus on human action in its embeddedness in society and culture. Such analysis does not view technology as a neutral mediator or a set of passive natural objects, but brings socially transformative discourse and normative dimensions of digital practice into focus. This study identifies participation, information, consent, inclusion and accountability as five key factors for public trust through the socio-historical analysis of anti-institutional tendencies in digital media transformation.
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Notes
- 1.
To provide contextually meaningful translations, German sources are cited in the author’s translation.
- 2.
As indicated by the sources, this analysis is limited to the transatlantic context and makes no claim beyond the region.
- 3.
In his 2013 book, Mele describes the likely ascent of an authoritarian populist in the U.S. exploiting the “End of Big.” Drawing the conclusion from his research in 2015, he predicted the electoral victory of Donald Trump (Mele 2015).
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Bedford-Strohm, J. (2019). Socio-historical Contexts of Anti-institutionalist Tendencies in Digital Media Transformation. In: Osburg, T., Heinecke, S. (eds) Media Trust in a Digital World. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30774-5_3
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