Agnotology 2.0: Mapping the politics of ignorance in digital space

This thesis examines 'traditional' agnotology and brings forth a new conceptual paradigm as 'Agnotology 2.0' — that aims to (de)construct the intentional manufacturing and perpetuation of ignorance using digital space. The study discusses the existing debates in traditional agnotology and investigates how power structures manufacture ignorance to perpetuate their socio-politico-economic hegemony. I extend this debate as the repackaging of traditional agnotology into the digital era where content created by users, chatbots and algorithms becomes popular and is used to spread mis/disinformation, that crafts the fragmented landscape of truth and manufactures ignorance differently. Agnotology 2.0 explores how technological leap enables the dissemination of false information in a post-truth era when emotional appeal often takes precedence over factual correctness. This concept draws inspiration from the transition from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0. This study structures its empirical findings on the role of social media platforms, especially Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram as a capitalist entity in a nation-state paradigm significantly shaping Agnotology 2.0 as a conceptual framework in the last decades' geopolitical events. The case studies of the May 2021 eviction in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood and the ongoing war in Gaza after October 2023 demonstrate how Meta's tactics unfairly and systemically suppress Palestinian voices while promoting other narratives to a greater extent. These activities reveal the inherent biases inside systems and the wider consequences of digital platforms being used to manipulate information and stifle opposing viewpoints. The research finally problematizes digital spaces as inherently non-neutral terrains, where ignorance and prejudice are perpetuated through deliberate and systematic engineering of partiality. It necessitates a comprehensive interrogation of the underlying principles and operational mechanisms of these technologies, advocating for their redefinition towards societal amelioration. Consequently, this study offers a pivotal framework for understanding the complexities of information governance in contemporary society, advocating for more informed and equitable approaches to digital governance and content regulation.