Abstract
Choosing Facebook as the specific example of what is referred to in this chapter as the 6th Estate in order to distinguish it conceptually from the fourth and fifth Estates, the primary objective of the first part of the chapter is to examine if digital information created, disseminated, and mediated increasingly via Facebook is also subject to those same normative principles as the fourth and fifth Estates. Having established that Facebook is in essence a media company, the second part of the chapter will demonstrate, on the basis of the Dual Obligation Information Theory (DOIT), that Facebook is also subject to the same normative principles and requirements that other media companies of the fourth and fifth Estates, are. The third part of the chapter will examine if Facebook’s role in the Cambridge Analytica case not only violated the fundamental normative principles and requirements to which all media companies are subject, but moreover, its actions constituted media corruption. More generally, Facebook’s media corruption as illustrated in the Cambridge Analytica case, relates to a conflict of interest emanating from its business model that in its design and practice is conducive to systemic media corruption.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call