Question

How did the internet help to strengthen democracy?

Answer 1

Hint: The Internet has become the single most used mode of information today. The entire world is connected through the internet, everyone has the space to express their opinion and to question what they feel is not right. But still, it is questionable how democratic the space of the internet can be because of the way it functions.

Complete answer:
The internet has been seen as a revolution in itself since the time of its inception. People globally connect on various platforms made possible by the internet. But democracy is not just about having an opinion and being able to express them. To be a participant in a democratic exchange, one should be aware of multiple social dimensions and perspectives, the factors that go into its making and the impact that their opinionating can have.
The Internet is a space controlled by big organisations and marketing firms. It runs off the fodder of advertisements and works in a vicious cycle of understanding the user’s interests and a pattern of recommendation. This means that even though the internet is an immensely large space, at a given time a user is exposed to a very small fraction of it which usually aligns with his or her ideology.
In this case, it becomes debatable the extent to which one can be actually free to express their opinion and inform oneself without being surrounded by the previous search histories, recommendation and likings on a loop.
A very important way to make this space truly democratic is to end the advertisers’ control on it. This needs economic and sustainability restructuring, which can be a long and intensive process.

Note: Even though the internet is present all over the world, in countries like China, North Korea and other nations, it is used as a propaganda machine. This highlights the disadvantage of the internet and the complete reversal of its image as a democratic space of any kind.