Digital Authority

Daan Weggemans

Daan Weggemans

Digital Authority

How Algorithms Shape Human Obedience and Trust

Our lives have been flooded with digital technologies that inform, advise, recommend, instruct, and sometimes even order. Most of the time, relying on them makes perfect sense: they are designed to help us solve everyday problems. Yet no technology is perfect. Bugs, flawed algorithms, biased data, and input errors can lead us astray. Although we recognize these risks, we often remain eager to follow what we are digitally told. This extends beyond examples of navigation systems sending drivers in the wrong direction. Digital technologies increasingly shape decisions in domains that profoundly affect human lives. How can we understand this readiness to accept technological outputs without question? The concept of digital authority provides a useful framework. It suggests that digital technologies are not merely tools or assistants, but can become authorities that shape human judgment. Understanding digital authority is crucial for addressing the ethical challenges of our reliance on digital systems.
Forthcoming publication. Pre-orders will open a few weeks before publication date.
Author

Daan Weggemans

Daan Weggemans, PhD (1986), is a digital philosopher at Leiden University’s Institute of Security and Global Affairs. His research explores the intersection of technology, governance, and security. He has published on digital security and other contemporary security challenges, and served as an expert for courts, governments, and the media.
Title
Digital Authority
Subtitle
How Algorithms Shape Human Obedience and Trust
Author
Price
€ 122,00 excl. VAT
ISBN
9789048576982
Format
Hardback
Number of pages
254
Language
English
Publication date
Dimensions
15.6 x 23.4 cm
Series
Media Dynamics
Categories
Media Studies
Philosophy and Ethics
Political Science
Sociology and Social History
Discipline
Science, Medicine, and Technology
Imprint
Table of Contents
Show Table of ContentsHide Table of Contents
AUTHOR SAYS …
PART 1: CONTEXT
1 INTRODUCTION
2 Decisions in a Digitope
3 AUTHORITY
PART 2: CONSTRUCTION
4 RELATION
5 SITUATION
6 CULTURE
PART 3: LIMITATION
7 HUMAN SAYS NO
8 CONCLUSIONS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INDEX