Page 90 - The Fourth Industrial Revolution

the interplay of two trends: one empowering, one disempowering.

Individuals feel empowered by changes in technology that make it easier for
them to gather information, communicate and organize, and are experiencing
new ways to participate in civic life. At the same time, individuals, civil
society groups, social movements and local communities feel increasingly

excluded from meaningful participation in traditional decision-making
processes, including voting and elections, and disempowered in terms of
their ability to influence and be heard by the dominant institutions and

sources of power in national and regional governance.

At its most extreme, there is the very real danger that governments might

employ combinations of technologies to suppress or oppress actions of civil
society organizations and groups of individuals who seek to create
transparency around the activities of governments and businesses and
promote change. In many countries around the world there is evidence that
the space for civil society is shrinking as governments promote legislation

and other policies which restrict the independence of civil society groups
and restrict their activities. The tools of the fourth industrial revolution
enable new forms of surveillance and other means of control that run

counter to healthy, open societies.

Source: Global Risks Report 2016, World Economic Forum

As an example, a study of the impact of get-out-the-vote messages on

Facebook found that they “increased turnout directly by about 60,000 voters
and indirectly through social contagion by another 280,000 voters, for a
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total of 340,000 additional votes.” This research highlights the power that
digital media platforms have in selecting and promoting the media we
consume online. It also indicates the opportunity for online technologies to

blend traditional forms of civic engagement (such as voting for local,
regional or national representatives) with innovative ways to give citizens
more direct influence over decisions that affect their communities.

As with almost all the impacts addressed in this section, it is clear that the
fourth industrial revolution brings great opportunities while also posing

significant risks. One of the key tasks the world faces as this revolution
emerges is how to gather more and better data on both the benefits and
challenges to community cohesion.

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