The infocracy

how digital flows disintegrate public discourse

Abstract

The escalating impact of digital technologies has profoundly reshaped societal and political landscapes, giving rise to infocracy, as conceptualised by Byung-Chul Han. This system, where algorithm-mediated information flows act as instruments of surveillance and behavioural control, mirrors Zuboff's (2019) surveillance capitalism. This phenomenon significantly erodes individual autonomy and public discourse, notably highlighted by Brazil's COVID-19 pandemic and 2022 elections, which experienced an "infodemic" (WHO, 2024) of misinformation. This review aims to analyse infocracy's effects on the democratic public sphere, specifically examining its manifestations in recent Brazilian contexts and discussing the pivotal role of Information Science in fostering critical countermeasures. Adopting a literature review approach, the study consulted key academic databases and theoretical works by authors such as Han, Capurro, Frohmann, and Takahashi. The findings reveal a clear shift towards psychopolitical domination through information, exemplified by microtargeting in Brazilian elections and the fragmentation of the public sphere into digital bubbles that reinforce existing beliefs and impede rational dialogue. The widespread dissemination of fake news and "meme wars" further underscores how emotional manipulation often overrides critical reasoning, leading to heightened social polarisation and cognitive exhaustion. Ultimately, infocracy poses substantial challenges to democracy by transforming information access into a means of control. Overcoming these challenges necessitates a focus on enhanced media literacy, greater algorithmic transparency, and robust information curation, which are crucial for Information Science to safeguard democratic discourse amidst increasing fragmentation and uncertainty.