Cambridge Analytica scandal and the Risk Society

Abstract

Ulrich Beck and the risk society underpin the research, aiming to explore the consequences stemming from human interaction with social media, thus leading to the delineation of the concept referred to as the digital environment. From this perspective, an analysis is conducted on the case of improper data sharing involving Cambridge Analytica and Facebook, which purportedly interfered in the 2016 US presidential elections and the Brexit referendum. The primary objective is to apply Beck's risk theory to the technological dimension, examining the negative aspects of improper data usage in the digital environment. To achieve the intended results of bridging the risk society with technological evolution, an inductive method was employed, along with theoretical procedures and bibliographic techniques. As a result, the research confirmed the developed hypothesis that cases like those involving Cambridge Analytica bring abstract risks that extend beyond what is typically understood as the digital environment, addressing the question of whether Beck's risk society encompasses the negative repercussions of improper data usage in contemporary society.