DIGITAL DEMOCRACY AND THE MANIPULATION OF PUBLIC OPINION IN THE ERA OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Abstract

Digital democracy is often understood as an expansion of civic participation through the use of information and communication technologies, based on the assumption that technology can enhance transparency and political inclusivity. However, in the Indonesian context, low levels of digital literacy render digital spaces highly vulnerable to disinformation, misinformation, and the manipulation of public opinion. This study departs from the question of how low digital literacy influences the formation of public opinion and how artificial intelligence (AI) contributes to the intensification of manipulative practices within digital democracy. The aim of this research is to analyze digital democracy as a field of power, knowledge, and technological relations, as well as to reveal the impact of AI on public rationality. This study employs a qualitative approach through a literature review and critical discourse analysis, drawing on theories of the public sphere and hegemony. The findings indicate that AI accelerates the production of pseudo-truths through the automation of narratives and synthetic content, while the absence of comprehensive regulation and weak digital literacy education lead the public to accept information without critical verification. Under these conditions, digital democracy does not collapse through direct repression, but rather through the normalization of falsehoods that are accepted as truth and that shape mass compliance.