The internet as a medium for political (self) education. Empowered consumers?

Essay aus dem Fachbereich Pädagogik - Medienpädagogik, , Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: In this essay it will be argued that, the mass of information the internet inflicts, is not only overwhelming to consumers, but is hereby presenting a threat to democracy, as it is used for deliberate manipulation. Consumers seem to lack emancipation tools and apparently need to be accordingly educated. This means that education needs to provide consumer¿s empowerment tools, in order for consumers to think critically and continue to participate as active citizens of a democracy.

Mass media confronts us with an immense amount of information. It opens up a new dimension for information to be distributed and noticed. Online information travels with a much greater velocity and range than information ever has before. It is reproduced on various channels and platforms. One might argue that the mass of information hereby accessible to consumers is empowering; effortlessly providing them with information upon which they can make their own choices. Looking at cases like the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook Scandal, and its consequences for the US presidential election of 2016 it is evident that online information is biased instead, and serves manipulation purposes, contributing greatly to political events.