THE SYMBOLISM OF HUMAN FREEDOM IN THE HISTORICAL PROJECTION OF THE “DIGITAL DICTATORSHIP”

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive socio-philosophical analysis of the risks associated with the use of information and communication technologies in the interests of particular political regimes within the context of the realization of human freedom as a universal foundation for the existence of a sovereign state in the European space of democratic values.
The study substantiates that the sphere of public policy has become entirely dependent on the system of communicative relations, while the networked environment is increasingly turning into an arena of intense competition among states in the globalized world. On the one hand, this confrontation creates opportunities for the political consolidation and global dominance of totalitarian states based on the principles of a “digital dictatorship.” On the other hand, the emergence of new forms of systemic network interaction strengthens the process of sovereignization of all participants, facilitates a fundamentally new level of social integration among active individuals, and gives rise to various forms of voluntary international alliances. This, in turn, reinforces representative democracy, the rule of law, political and ideological pluralism, and the freedom of individuals to make independent choices within the sphere of social relations.
The research demonstrates that the understanding of freedom as a phenomenon is grounded in multilayered cognitive structures of value-oriented and meaningful human activity, based on the principles of non-linear development and dialogical models of interpreting historical events. Therefore, the practice of exercising free will invariably reflects a symbolic human aspiration to achieve a state of harmonious presence within the reality of a particular historical moment and to make a conscious choice regarding one’s sphere of activity for the realization of creative abilities and intentions. Such a condition becomes possible only within a political order founded upon the values of democratic governance. It is concluded that the unique possibility of exercising free will is determined by its intrinsic value, while from the perspective of the subject of social relations, freely chosen activity always represents an attempt at the rational comprehension and implementation of the objectives of everyday existence.