Knowledge production and epistemic injustices

The use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7146/mk.v40i76.143529

Keywords:

Literature review, epistemic biases, feminist epistemology, decolonial epistemology, epistemic injustice, artificial intelligent

Abstract

This article explores the complexities emerging from the knowing subject engaging in knowledge generation through artificial intelligence and digital technologies. By exploring a recent literature review as our case study, the possible existence of biases that may distort the studied reality and generate epistemic inequalities is investigated. A reflexive approach drawn from decolonial and feminist perspectives is applied. Findings underline the presence of epistemic biases, such as the invisibility of the knowing subject and knowledge representation, indicating that they are not simple isolated biases but part of a systemic problem that transcends specific scientific and technological practices. Ultimately, the complexity leading to epistemic biases is highlighted, encompassing interconnected systems, including the scientific, technological, and institutional.

Author Biographies

Ana Isabel Zermeño-Flores, University of Colima

Mexican. Full professor at the University of Colima (UCOL) and registered at the University Center for Social Research. She holds a doctorate in Audiovisual Communication from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), Spain. Leader of the academic body "Communication and Culture". Coordinator of Agorante, a research group in society and technology. Coordinator of the Kaleidoscope Network, an international network on digital culture research and human development. Professor of the Faculty of Letters and Communication and the Doctorate in Sociocultural Studies of Inequalities at UCOL. Member of the National System of Researchers, Level II of the National Council of Humanities, Science and Technology (CONHACYT). Her lines of research are "Communication for social change", "Technologies for development" (digital inclusion from the human perspective), "Youth" (youth culture), and "Knowledge inequalities".

Thomas Tufte, Loughborough University and University of Johannesburg

Of Danish nationality, he is a full professor and director of the Institute for Media and Creative Industries at Loughborough University in London, United Kingdom. He is also a Senior Research Associate at the University of Johannesburg (South Africa, 2013-) and an Extraordinary Professor at the University of the Free State (South Africa, 2020-). He holds a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark (1995). With a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Copenhagen, his research focuses on communication's role in citizen mobilization during change processes. He has worked extensively in Africa, Latin America, and Spain. In addition to his academic role, he has consulted for international organizations, including UN agencies and NGOs. His recent books include "Communication for Social Change" and "Communicating Change – Concepts to Think With."

Mabel Andrea Navarrete-Vega, University of Colima

Professor-Researcher at the Faculty of Social Work of the University of Colima, Mexico. She has a PhD in Innovation in Educational Technology from the Autonomous University of Querétaro and is attached to the University Center for Social Research of the University of Colima, where she has developed digital inclusion projects at the local and national level linked to the information technology line of knowledge. and communication for development. Among her recent publications are articles on active media production in the training of communicators and on technological practices in young universities.

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Published

2024-08-30

How to Cite

Zermeño-Flores, A. I., Tufte, T., & Navarrete-Vega, M. A. (2024). Knowledge production and epistemic injustices: The use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence. MedieKultur: Journal of Media and Communication Research, 40(76), 120–138. https://doi.org/10.7146/mk.v40i76.143529

Issue

Vol. 40 No. 76 (2024): The Communicative Dynamics of AI in Datafied Societies

Section

Articles: Theme section

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