The Ethics of Political Manipulation. What, if anything, is wrong with political microtargeting in deliberative democracies

Abstract

"This thesis researches the question what the effect of political microtargeting is on people’s capabilities to meaningfully participate in deliberative democracies and what measures concerning political microtargeting are then justified. First, it is argued that the Capability Approach helps in conceptualizing deliberative democracy, and it is therefore a useful framework in assessing phenomena that might impact deliberative democracy. Second, it is argued that political campaigns in a deliberative democracy should be subject to the same standards as deliberative democracy since campaigns play a decisive role in the deliberation process. Consequently, a comparison between political campaigns and political microtargeting is made. The key difference is that political microtargeting is in nature non-transparent opposed to political campaigns. Third, political microtargeting is assessed based on the impact on five deliberative capabilities: 1) the capabilities of senses, imagination and thought, 2) of emotions, 3) of practical reason, 4) of affiliation, 5) of control over one’s political environment. It is concluded that political microtargeting poses the threat of manipulation, fragmentation, and uneven power structures, which negatively impact the five deliberative capabilities. Measures that are installed are not sufficient to battle these negative effects. Therefore, the conclusion of this thesis is that political microtargeting should be banned."