La grande illusione. Conoscenza, diritti e democrazia ai tempi dell’informazione digitale

The aim of this essay is to examine some of the effects that the digital transformation of our modes of acquiring information is having on democratic mechanisms and on the very notion of citizenship. From this perspective, attention is given to the possible definitions of “falsehood” and to the ways in which the legal system affirms the “truth”. The challenges involved in translating these issues into legally binding norms underscore the inherent fragility of the passive and reflexive dimensions of the right to information – namely, the right to be informed and the right to seek information – which are examined, respectively, in relation to news disseminated through social networking platforms and the use of search engines. This results in a profound alteration of the role that public opinion plays within the democratic architecture, revealing that the current legal framework is still unable to adopt an updated understanding of how new informational flows operate and how they might be effectively regulated.