Socio-historical contexts of anti-institutionalist tendencies in digital media transformation

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.