23/06/2025

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MONDAY | JUNE 23, 2025

Controlled by distraction P EOPLE call them big companies or even giants – Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta and Netflix – and these names information we see. The news we read, the videos we watch, the advertisements we encounter and even the people we interact with are largely determined by algorithms designed by a few powerful corporations. “The news we read, the videos COMMENT by Aisha Fahmy Mohd Zulhery Fahmy

literally dominate our digital world. They have become so woven into our daily lives that we often forget just how much we rely on them. At the touch of our fingertips, we send messages, stream videos, search for answers, shop and socialise. The phrase “there’s an app for that” came from their inventions. In many ways, these companies have built the modern digital landscape. Thanks to them, we are more connected than ever before. We can communicate across borders, access information instantly and enjoy the kind of convenience our ancestors could not have imagined. However, with great innovation comes great responsibility and even greater power. The question is: Where do we draw the line? Yes, we should be thankful for the tools they have created but we should also be cautious. There is a saying, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you”, but perhaps a more fitting warning is: “Don’t keep eating if the hand starts feeding you poison.” These platforms do not just connect us – they also control the flow of

we watch, the advertisements we encounter and even the people we interact with, much of it is determined by algorithms designed by a few powerful corporations.

This control over information is not just about business; it affects public opinion, political debates and even personal beliefs. When a handful of companies can amplify some voices while silencing others and promote certain narratives while burying others, it becomes clear that they do not just participate in the media industry – they dominate it. And the content never stops. We scroll endlessly through social media, binge-watch an entire series in a weekend and click through dozens of tabs without finishing a single one. At some point, this starts to feel less like freedom and more like hypnosis. We are feeding on content voluntarily but without limits. We are consuming and consuming but what are we really getting in return? This endless stream of media has become a distraction – a way to pull us away from the real world, from reality itself. Instead of looking out at the world and engaging with people face to face, we are staring into screens, losing ourselves in curated images and

Instead of looking out at the world and engaging with people face to face, we are staring into screens, losing ourselves in curated images and carefully calculated feeds. – P HOTO B Y UNSP LA S H

have become the media industry now. They are the new gatekeepers of information. And while they promise freedom, access and innovation, they also hold immense power over what we see, what we know and how we feel. The real challenge is not just recognising this power; it is deciding what to do with it. Should we regulate them? Should we limit our use? Should we demand more transparency? These are the questions we need to start asking, not just as consumers but as citizens of a digital world. Aisha Fahmy Mohd Zulhery Fahmy is an undergraduate student at Universiti Malaya. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

carefully calculated feeds. While it feels like we are in control – choosing what to watch or who to follow – the truth is, much of our experience is shaped by behind-the scenes algorithms that we do not fully understand. Of course, not everything is harmful. There are many benefits to the digital world – education, community-building, activism, entertainment and even healing. But we cannot ignore the other side too. The addictive design of social media, the spread of misinformation, the invasion of privacy and the mental health challenges – they are all part of the same package. So yes, the tech giants are part of the media industry but more than that, they

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