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Online Manipulation: Hidden Influences in a Digital World (Susser, Roessler & Nissenbaum, 2019)

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SSRN·papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3312552

Credibility Rating

3/5
Good(3)

Good quality. Reputable source with community review or editorial standards, but less rigorous than peer-reviewed venues.

Rating inherited from publication venue: SSRN

Relevant to AI safety discussions around persuasive AI systems, deceptive alignment, and the ethics of AI-driven influence; provides philosophical grounding for concerns about AI manipulation of human decision-making.

Metadata

Importance: 58/100working paperprimary source

Summary

This paper develops a philosophical account of manipulation, arguing it involves covert influence that bypasses rational agency. The authors analyze how digital technologies enable novel and pervasive forms of manipulation, with implications for autonomy, privacy, and democratic governance. They propose a framework for identifying and addressing online manipulation.

Key Points

  • •Manipulation is defined as intentional, covert influence that subverts rational agency rather than persuading through legitimate means
  • •Digital environments create unprecedented opportunities for manipulation through data collection, micro-targeting, and behavioral nudging
  • •The paper distinguishes manipulation from related concepts like deception, coercion, and legitimate persuasion
  • •Structural features of online platforms (opacity, personalization, scale) make manipulation especially difficult to detect and resist
  • •Authors argue that protecting autonomy requires transparency norms and regulatory frameworks targeting manipulative digital practices

Cited by 1 page

PageTypeQuality
Erosion of Human AgencyRisk91.0

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