Ekonomi Politik, Internet, dan Demokrasi

Abstract

This article aims to explain the political economy of the Internet and its relevance to democracy. This
elaboration is an alternative to the utopian and dystopian techno-determinist approaches in viewing the relationship
between the Internet and democracy. From a political economy perspective, the Internet and its various derivatives,
such as search engines, social media, e-commerce, and other platforms, are not only networks and communication
platforms, but also instruments of commodification, surveillance, and control by global digital companies that based
in the United States of America to millions of users around the world. From the results of the literature study and
conceptual analysis of the processes of commodification, surveillance, and control, the authors conclude that claims
about the democratic characteristics of the Internet are ideological in nature. The claim hides the economic and
political interests of the United States and its global digital companies. What the United States and these global
digital companies have done has stripped away basic democratic values, such as respect for and protection of
human rights, freedom, and equality. From that conclusion, the authors suggest the need for openness and
multilateral globalism in Internet governance so that it is more friendly towards democratic values.

Key words: Commodification, democracy, Internet, political economy, surveillance