On this year's World Press Freedom Day -- which falls today -- it's clear that our current relationship with information has undergone a profound change from the norms of only a generation ago. According to the World Economic Forum, in 2020 the volume of content on the internet was 40 times higher than the number of stars in the observable universe. This figure has multiplied since. In a fast-paced and burgeoning digital landscape, the world now communicates readily across geographical borders; at the same time, it does so in increasingly mediated ways.
This is particularly the case with social media where information is powerfully manipulated through targeted technological interventions, including algorithms and artificial intelligence. Today it is undeniable that the technological developments of such mediated information have contributed substantially to the proliferation of misinformation online. This ultimately has the effect of distancing public trust from traditional media. This scenario also has a direct impact on the status of freedom of expression across the world, in which the digital realm makes possible both new opportunities and new threats for free expression. For instance, social media can be an enhancer of freedom of expression in countries where free speech is targeted by the state. A current and vivid example is the encrypted application Telegram, which has become the last resort for Russian journalists to reach audiences, as they have lost the ability to freely report in their country about the war in Ukraine. In Southeast Asia, the market-driven nature of online media has led to the rise of social media influencers or citizen-journalists, some now acting as advocates of free speech without affiliation to traditional news organisations.
