While it might be supposed that the introduction of 'interactivity' and 'interconnectivity' by means of sophisticated electronic communication instruments and agencies have made the makers and receivers of news more equal than ever, the opposite is more likely to be closer to the truth. And this is deeply detrimental to democracy. Today's media agencies carry within them inbuilt inconsistencies and contradictions that are difficult to overcome. We have already mentioned the contradiction between the assumed certainty of media information and our growing awareness that our knowledge of objective reality is imbued with all sorts of uncertainties. So far, this has been achieved thanks to two of our five senses only, i.e., by audio-visual means.
Computers designed to address all five of our senses are presently in the making.
We will soon be able to imagine ourselves swimming in the sea while resting in our bed. The issue, beyond democracy, is whether we can retain our equilibrium in a world where the man-machine relationship would not only involve machines replacing the human muscle, or the human brain, but, more critically, affecting human sanity.