arXiv:2601.09600v3 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: Online information access (IA) platforms are targets of authoritarian capture. We explore the question of how to safeguard our platforms and ensure emancipatory outcomes through the lens of Paulo Freire's theories of emancipatory pedagogy. Freire's theories provide a radically different lens for exploring IA's sociotechnical concerns relative to the current dominating frames of fairness, accountability, and transparency. We make explicit, with the intention to challenge, the technologist-user dichotomy in IA platform development that mi
The increasing prevalence of online information access platforms and concerns about their potential for authoritarian control are prompting researchers to explore new theoretical frameworks for their design and regulation.
This research introduces a novel theoretical lens, Freirean pedagogy, to critically re-evaluate information access design, moving beyond existing paradigms like fairness, accountability, and transparency, which could lead to more robust and ethical information ecosystems.
The focus shifts from technocentric concerns of platform design to a human-centric emancipatory approach, challenging the traditional technologist-user divide and advocating for more participatory and equitable information access frameworks.
- · Oppressed communities
- · Advocacy groups for digital rights
- · Ethical AI/platform designers
- · Authoritarian regimes
- · Platforms designed for control
- · Uncritical technology developers
Further academic and practical exploration of Freirean principles in information access platforms will emerge.
New design methodologies and ethical guidelines for information systems that prioritize user empowerment and resistance to capture could be developed.
Potential for a new generation of information platforms that are inherently more resilient to manipulation and promote genuine democratic participation globally.
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Read at arXiv cs.AI