Digital platforms are now the ultimate political power brokers, with consequences for democracy

By Francesco Bailo, Lecturer in Data Analytics in the Social Sciences, University of Sydney

Digital platforms have become the essential infrastructure of modern life. They power everything from our group chats to businesses, shopping, election campaigns and emergency coordination. They instantly connect us and continuously feed us information.

Yet although they broker information everywhere, the power of digital platforms remains largely invisible.

They control content and harvest information from behind a curtain, and avoid accountability by claiming they’re neutral. Section…

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