I-Digital gerrymandering: Ukusebenzisa ubuchwepheshe ukuze kuqiniswe ukhetho

• About the Author:
• Igama lomlobi

  I-Quantumrun Foresight
• July 4, 2022

Isifinyezo sokuqonda

Umkhuba othuthukayo wokusebenzisa izibalo zedatha kanye nenkundla yezokuxhumana ukuze uhlanganise ezokuxhumana zezombusazwe ulungisa kabusha isimo sokhetho, ngokushintsha okuphawulekayo okubheke ku-digital gerrymandering, okuvumela ukukhohlisa okunembe kakhudlwana kwezifunda zokhetho. Nakuba lo mkhuba uthuthukisa ikhono lamaqembu ezombusazwe okuxhumana nabavoti ngemilayezo eqondene nawe, futhi ubeka engcupheni yokujulisa ukuhlukana kwezombusazwe ngokuvala abavoti ngaphakathi kwe-echo Chambers. Ukusungulwa okuhlongozwayo kwamakhomishana angachemi ukuze angamele ukukhawulwa kabusha, kanye namandla okuba amaqembu ezishoshovu ezinolwazi lwezobuchwepheshe athuthukise amathuluzi asiza ukuhlonza ukukhwabanisa, kumelela izinyathelo ezisheshayo ekugcineni ukulunga nobuqotho benqubo yentando yeningi phakathi nalolu shintsho lwedijithali.

Digital gerrymandering umongo

I-Gerrymandering umkhuba wosopolitiki abadweba amamephu wezifunda ukuze basebenzise izifunda zokhetho ukuze bavune iqembu labo. Njengoba ubuchwepheshe bokuhlaziya idatha buthuthukile, izinkampani zenkundla yezokuxhumana kanye nesofthiwe eyinkimbinkimbi yokwenza imephu iye yabaluleka kakhulu emaqenjini afuna ukudala amamephu okhetho avuna wona. Intuthuko kwezobuchwepheshe ivumele ukuxhashazwa kwezifunda zokuvota ukuthi kufinyelele ezingeni elingaziwa ngaphambilini njengoba izinqubo ze-analog gerrymandering kubikwa ukuthi zifinyelele umkhawulo wazo ngamakhono abantu nesikhathi.

Abenzi bomthetho nosopolitiki manje bangasebenzisa ngempumelelo ama-algorithm ngezinsiza ezimbalwa uma kuqhathaniswa ukuze bakhe amamephu esifunda ahlukene. Lawa mamephu angafaniswa namanye ngokusekelwe kudatha yabavoti etholakalayo, futhi angasetshenziswa ukukhulisa amathuba enhlangano yawo okunqoba ukhetho. Amathuluzi enkundla yezokuxhumana angasetshenziswa futhi ukuqoqa idatha kuzintandokazi zabavoti ngokusekelwe kulokho abakuncamelayo kweqembu esidlangalaleni, kanye namarekhodi okuziphatha afinyeleleka kalula, njengokuthandwa ku-Facebook noma ama-retweets ku-Twitter. 

Ngo-2019, iNkantolo Ephakeme yase-US yakhipha isinqumo sokuthi ukuhlukunyezwa kwakuyindaba edinga ukudingidwa ohulumeni bezifundazwe kanye namajaji, kwakhulisa ukuncintisana phakathi kwamaqembu ezepolitiki nababambiqhaza ukuze balawule inqubo yokudweba isifunda ngokuvuna bona. Nakuba ubuchwepheshe busetshenziswe ezifundeni zase-gerrymander, lobu buchwepheshe obufanayo manje bungasetshenziswa abamelene nalo mkhuba ukuze kuhlonzwe ukuthi ukwenziwa kwe-gerrymander kwenzeke nini futhi kuphi. 

Umthelela ophazamisayo

Umkhuba wokusebenzisa izinkundla zokuxhumana kanye nolwazi lohlu lwabavoti ngamaqembu ezepolitiki ukuze ahlanganise ezokuxhumana uyaphawuleka. Ngokusebenzisa i-lens yokwenza kube ngokwakho, imilayezo yezombangazwe yenza ngcono kusetshenziswa izintandokazi zabavoti kanye nokubhaliswa kwesifunda kungenza imikhankaso yezepolitiki ibandakanyeke kakhulu futhi iphumelele kakhulu. Kodwa-ke, njengoba abavoti befakwa kakhulu emakamelweni e-echo afakazela izinkolelo zabo zangaphambili, ingozi yokujula kokwehlukana kwezombusazwe iyabonakala. Kumvoti ngamunye, ukuchayeka emibonweni emincane yezepolitiki kunganciphisa ukuqonda nokubekezelelana kwemibono yezepolitiki eyahlukene, kuhlakulele isimo somphakathi esihlukanisayo kakhulu ngokuhamba kwesikhathi.

Njengoba amaqembu ezombusazwe esebenzisa idatha ukuze enze ngcono ukufinyelela kwawo, ingqikithi yomncintiswano wentando yeningi ingase ibe impi yokuthi ubani ongakhohlisa kangcono imilobo yedijithali. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukukhulunywa nge-gerrymandering kugqamisa ukukhathazeka okukhona; ngedatha ethuthukisiwe, izinhlangano zezombusazwe zingalungisa kahle imingcele yesifunda sokhetho ukuze zizuze, okungenzeka zibukele phansi ukulunga kokuncintisana kokhetho. Uma kubhekwa le mithelela, kunesidingo somzamo ohlangene phakathi kwababambe iqhaza ukuze kuthuthukiswe ukulandisa okunokulinganisela. Isiphakamiso sokusungulwa kwamakhomishini azophenya futhi aqaphe ukuvinjelwa kabusha siyisinyathelo esibheke phambili ekuqinisekiseni ukuthi inqubo yokhetho ihlala inobulungiswa futhi imele intando yomphakathi.

Ngaphezu kwalokho, imiphumela emibi yalo mkhuba idlulela emikhakheni yezinkampani nekahulumeni. Izinkampani, ikakhulukazi lezo ezisemikhakheni yobuchwepheshe nedatha, zingase zithole amathuba amasha ebhizinisi ekunikezeni izinsizakalo ezisiza amabhizinisi ezepolitiki ukufeza izinhloso zawo zokufinyelela eziqhutshwa idatha. Ohulumeni bangase badinge ukunyathela umugqa, baqinisekise ukuthi ukusetshenziswa okwandayo kwedatha emikhankasweni yezombangazwe akuphuli ubumfihlo bezakhamuzi noma izimiso eziyisisekelo zokuncintisana kwentando yeningi. 

Imithelela ye-digital gerrymandering 

Imithelela ebanzi ye-digital gerrymandering ingase ihlanganise: 

• Abavoti balahlekelwa ukuthembela ezinhlelweni zabo zezombusazwe, okuholela ekwehleni kancane kancane kwezinga labavoti.
• Ukuqapha okungeziwe kwabavoti mayelana nezinyathelo zomthetho ezithinta ukwakheka nobukhulu besifunda sabo sokuvota.
• Ukuduba okungase kube khona kwezinkundla zokuxhumana kanye nemikhankaso yezomthetho emelene nabamele umphakathi abasolwa ngokubandakanyeka ku-digital gerrymandering.
• Amaqembu ezishoshovu ezihlakaniphile akhiqiza amathuluzi okulandelela abekela imingcele nezinkundla zokwenza amamephu edijithali ezisiza ukuhlonza ukukhohliswa kwemephu yokuvota nalapho izifunda zezepolitiki ezihlukene zihlala khona endaweni noma endaweni yokuvota.  
• Izinkampani (ngisho nazo zonke izimboni) ezifudukela ezifundazweni/ezifundeni lapho iqembu lezepolitiki eligxilile liphethe amandla ngenxa ye-gerrymandering.
• Kuncishiswe amandla ezomnotho ezifundazweni/ezifundeni eziklinywe ama-gerrymander ngenxa yokuntuleka kokuncintisana kwezepolitiki okukhuthaza imibono emisha noshintsho.

Imibuzo okufanele icatshangelwe

• Ingabe ucabanga ukuthi indima yezinkampani ezinkulu zobuchwepheshe ingatholakala ophenyweni lwe-digital gerrymandering? Ingabe lezi zinkampani kufanele zibe nomthwalo wemfanelo omkhulu emaphoyiseni ukuthi amapulatifomu azo asetshenziswa kanjani lapho kuthinteka i-digital gerrymandering?
• Ingabe ukholelwa ukuthi ukwenza i-gerrymander noma ukusatshalaliswa kolwazi olungelona iqiniso kuthinta imiphumela yokhetho kakhulu?