American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Digital Dystopia
American Economic Review
vol. 111,
no. 6, June 2021
(pp. 2007–48)
Abstract
Autocratic regimes, democratic majorities, private platforms, and religious or professional organizations can achieve social control by managing the flow of information about individuals' behavior. Bundling the agents' political, organizational, or religious attitudes with information about their prosocial conduct makes them care about behaviors that they otherwise would not. The incorporation of the individuals' social graph in their social score further promotes soft control but destroys the social fabric. Both bundling and guilt by association are most effective in a society that has weak ties and is politically docile.Citation
Tirole, Jean. 2021. "Digital Dystopia." American Economic Review 111 (6): 2007–48. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20201214Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D64 Altruism; Philanthropy; Intergenerational Transfers
- D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
- D83 Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
- D91 Micro-Based Behavioral Economics: Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
- K38 Human Rights Law; Gender Law
- Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification