Abstract:
The 2021 doomsday clock has placed the world at 100 seconds to midnight in part
because of the increased use of disruptive technologies, which influence the way
that people think, act, and in some instances the way that people vote. Digital tools
like algorithms, bots, artificial intelligence, microtargeting, and fake news have
pushed society into a post-truth environment where people disagree on basic facts.
This study assesses the use of these new media techniques using Herman and
Chomsky’s propaganda model and applying it to Cambridge Analytica’s operations
during the 2016 United States Presidential election. In doing so, this dissertation
aims to illustrate how the elite control the information audiences’ access, using more
sophisticated targeting information. Ultimately, this dissertation aims to establish
whether the propaganda model is still relevant in the age of new media.
Furthermore, this dissertation asks whether Cambridge Analytica’s involvement in
the Trump campaign had any impact on the integrity of the US democratic system
