ABSTRACT
More recently, analysing the inner workings of the brain, evolutionary biologists, neuroscientists and psychologists have come to comparable conclusions on the impact of digital technologies. Enlightenment ideals of reason have spread across the globe, creating more electoral democracies in more advanced, educated, healthy and, ultimately, happier societies. The 2008 global financial crisis and the rising inequality it has resulted in have allowed today’s authoritarian, dogmatic regimes to rear their ugly heads and has brought democracies a step closer to resembling them. This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is divided into three sections. It reviews market trends, internet intermediaries and theories pertaining to digital democracy. The book sets the stage for deeper investigation by analysing two country cases, the Russian Federation and Ukraine. It deconstructs the Russian Federation’s role in digital disinformation.
