Machine Learning, Convergence Digitalization, and the Concentration of Power: Enslavement by Design Using Techno-Biological Behaviors

The dawn of electronic business (e-business) changed the way that individuals interact not only with one another but also with the companies that supply them with goods and services, as well as with the government agencies on which they depend for welfare and security. We can speak of “digital business” as the (re)design or (re)definition of new or existing business models, and as the creation of increased flows and connectivity between customers and other entities, both internal and external to the business, among other defining features. In this editorial, we explore three interrelated levels of sociological and economic practice—micro, meso, and macro—as they pertain to advances in digital business [1], with the intention of revealing hidden dynamics and implications resulting from interactions between these levels. At the micro level, we consider the individual user. This can be interpreted as the “self” or the individual level (e.g., a person or person in singular interaction with another). At the meso level, we reflect on technological systems (e.g., information systems, biometrics, and data analysis through machine learning (ML), for the purposes of this article). This level is about groups and how they communicate in building knowledge, with a particular emphasis on what that knowledge means. The groups are made up of organizations, whether business or government agencies, or other collectives. And finally, at the macro level, we consider the societal context inclusive of communities (e.g., local/regional/national or international levels).