Introduction
In the era of technological development, all spheres of people’s lives are experiencing significant transformations. One of these areas is democracy in the United States of America, which currently uses media sources to promote companies. Moreover, this aspect is often the result of such a severe problem as disinformation. Research stated that “disinformation refers to a purposeful strategy to induce false belief, channel behavior, or damage trust” (Calo et al., 2021, para. 3). Thus, the digital era has created an environment in which false information can spread rapidly and reach a large audience. This becomes a severe issue for democracy and the entire political system as a whole, as it casts doubt on trust in the given process. The public ceases to believe politicians and the companies they promote, which contributes to the deterioration of relations between the authorities and the people.
The second obstacle that arises with the spread of digital technologies is the creation of conditions in which people are exposed to information that confirms their existing beliefs and biases. The use of specialized analytical mechanisms helps to provide the audience with only data about democracy in a country that satisfies their worldview. This has contributed to a more polarized political landscape and makes it harder for people to engage in discussions. The consequence of this circumstance is the deprivation of democracy of its nature and fundamental essence due to the inability of people to come to a common opinion.
Option for Addressing the Challenges
In order to combat the problem of disinformation, there are many initiatives. One of the most effective can be such a social option as the transformation of people’s attitudes to this topic. Thus, Calo et al. (2021) pointed out that “research investigating active corrections in online spaces is needed and an upstream approach that build greater resilience to misinformation before a problematic idea spread” (p. 12). Moreover, legislative initiatives are effective. An example would be the Honest Ads Act, which implies providing information about the political advertising to the customer due to the fact that “political campaigns are taking advantage of a rapidly maturing commercial geo-spatial intelligence complex” (Chester & Montgomery, 2019, p. 19). This initiative will effectively reduce the amount of false information and provide greater transparency to democracy.
In addition, measures are being applied that focus on the legislative initiatives that deal with the creation of conditions in which people are exposed to information that confirms their existing beliefs and biases. There are many different laws that consider such aspect; however, “they do not necessarily protect deceptive speech coupled with harmful action” (Calo et al., 2021, para. 5). To address this challenge the Federal Trade Commission created guidelines and Consumer Protection laws that require people and companies on social media to disclose sponsored content and to take steps to address deceptive advertising. Even though the interests of the audience are considered, the real intentions of advertising have other goals, which limits honesty on online platforms.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the problems highlighted in the articles are of actual importance to modern society. This is because people live in a highly advanced digital era and are exposed to a large amount of information. Within the framework of modern democracy, individuals face the problem of false information and polarization. The sources studied turned out to be persuasive, as they helped to identify options that can be used to find the most productive and effective solution.
References
Calo, R., Coward, C., Spiro, E. S., Starbird, K., & West, J. D. (2021). How do you solve a problem like misinformation? Science Advances, 7(50). Web.
Chester, J., & Montgomery, K. C. (2019). The digital commercialisation of US politics—2020 and beyond. Internet Policy Review, 8(4), 1-23. Web.