Approaching the turn of the 21st century, many scholars and media experts anticipated that the advent of the Internet could provide a powerful and profound source of democratization; facilitating...Show moreApproaching the turn of the 21st century, many scholars and media experts anticipated that the advent of the Internet could provide a powerful and profound source of democratization; facilitating not only instantaneous and costless information dissemination but also uniquely enabling a two-way ‘many-to-many’ pathway of political communication. Two decades on and notwithstanding this utopian vision, democracy, once again, appears caught in a state of crisis. With populism on the rise and political disengagement reaching record levels, questions regarding the tangents that connect democracy and technology must be critically reengaged. Working in this vain, this thesis sets out to test the relation between search engine technologies and the deliberative model of democracy. Looking specifically at the ideals of equality, autonomy and public justification, we ask whether the algorithms underwriting search engines invite or inhibit the realization of democratic deliberation.Show less
