Democracy, rights and exclusion in information Society: the power of (mis)information in contemporary democracies

Abstract

Competences and communicative potentials emerge as indispensable elements for the study of contemporary democracies. Defending democracy, human rights, fundamental rights, and seeking to combat social inequality, implies recognizing the influence of information and communication technologies in these scenarios. Information becomes an element of power that is not only communicative, but political, economic and social. Therefore, what are the threats and means for containment and adaptation to democratic realities? What should be considered when analyzing the function of information in the context of a democracy that intends to be deliberative? Investigating the power of disinformation is a central point of discussion, especially with regard to the protection of democracy, the fight against social inequalities and the enhancement of education. Through the analytical method of bibliographic review, the necessary interdisciplinarity between legal, philosophical and sociological writings is used, with some observations on the global and Brazilian scenario. Moreover, starting from the analysis of the relationship between information, ignorance and truth, arises at the problem of the two highlighted phenomena: infoexclusion and informational silencing. Finally, the consequences of this context on the protection of human rights and democracy are analyzed, signaling education as the main instrument for combating disinformation.