Passage: Not every voice on the internet commands the same kind of audience. When anonymous private entities…
Passage: Not every voice on the internet commands the same kind of audience. When anonymous private entities with high capital can pay for more space for their opinions, they are effectively buying a louder voice. If political discourse in the digital sphere is a matter of outshining one's opponent till the election is won, then the quality of politics suffers. The focus of social media is restricted to the promotion of content that generates more user engagement, regardless of how inflammatory the content may be.
Based on the above passage, the following assumptions have been made:
1. Internet is not inclusive enough.
2. Internet can adversely affect the quality of policies in a country.
Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Solution
Assumption 1 is valid: the passage implies the internet favours those with more resources ('buying a louder voice'), making it not inclusive enough. Assumption 2 is valid: the passage states that the quality of politics suffers when digital discourse is about outshining opponents, indicating the internet can adversely affect policy quality. Hence both assumptions are valid.