Media and freedom: Basic issues

Abstract

The text problematizes, from the perspective of media philosophy, the relationship between the philosophical concept of freedom and the possibility of practicing freedom today in the media. The concept of freedom is one of the central themes of all philosophy, while the media is a newer field of research in philosophical-critical thought. Freedom in the media, which we propose in our article, is understood as a self-evident phenomenon. It is mostly spoken of on the basis of segmented, bureaucratically articulated "standards" that are often reduced to numbers, that is, quantitative criteria. Modern media, which are primarily an industry (mainstream media, Internet, and social networks), and thus quantification, can also hardly contribute to any kind of human emancipation, since they unquestionably serve profit, i.e., large corporate systems. Moreover, they have recently been significantly infused with artificial intelligence, and social networks are the main training ground for its use. Therefore, it is absurd to expect emancipation through algorithms, which are increasingly used in modern media. It should also be emphasized that free journalism has been banished from the media scene, so to speak, if we exclude the few alternative media that are being systematically pushed out of the public sphere. After all, how can modern media be said to be working in the public interest (even for freedom), and Julian Assange, a symbol of the presentation of relevant facts in the global media space, has beenbimprisoned for a decade as a political prisoner or criminal, similar to many others, less known, like him?