Architectures of Control
Digital Populism and the Corrosion of Democracy in Contemporary Mexico
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59057/iberoleon.20075316.202541792Keywords:
degenerative feedback, emotional hyper-personalization, accountability institutions, democratic resilience, parallel epistemologiesAbstract
This research examines the reconfiguration of Mexico's public sphere through the instrumentalization of artificial intelligence in digital populism strategies during 2018-2024. Grounded in Deutsch's political cybernetics and von Foerster's second-order cybernetics, the study employs process tracing and theoretical triangulation to analyze how algorithmic systems have replaced deliberative processes with degenerative feedback circuits that erode democratic self-regulation. Findings document the emergence of sophisticated manipulation architectures operating through emotional hyper-personalization, automated narrative synchronization, and accountability institution capture. The analysis reveals the consolidation of a "synthetic public opinion" ecosystem that fragments democratic deliberation into parallel epistemologies, commodifying dissent and concentrating informational control. The research concludes that AI transcends its instrumental function to become a structural agent reconfiguring democracy's epistemic foundations, demanding new frameworks for algorithmic transparency and institutional resilience. These dynamics challenge conventional democratic participation models and necessitate urgent rethinking of informational sovereignty in fragile democratic contexts.
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