IB Digital Society 4.6A Political Processes Key Definitions

A form of synthetic media in which AI is used to convincingly fabricate a person's face or voice, making them appear to say or do things they never did.

Using digital tools, especially social media and messaging, to raise awareness, organise, and mobilise people for a political or social cause. It lowers the cost of collective action but is criticised for shallow, low-effort participation and exposure to surveillance.

The use of digital tools in democratic processes, such as online organising, e-petitions, e-participation, and internet voting. It can widen participation and openness, but also creates new routes for manipulation, exclusion, and loss of trust.

The delivery of government services and interactions with citizens through digital systems, such as online tax filing, digital ID, and internet voting. It can make services faster and more accessible, but raises issues of security, verifiability, and unequal access.

Using data profiles of people's behaviour and traits to deliver tailored political or commercial messages to narrow groups. In politics it lets a campaign show different, often hidden, messages to different audiences, raising concerns about manipulation and transparency.

False or misleading information that spreads online, whether shared by mistake or deliberately, made harder to catch when convincing media can be produced and shared by anyone.

Biased or one-sided information designed to influence public opinion.

The systematic monitoring of people's behaviour, often through digital data, by a state or company, whether or not those being watched are aware of it.