The Post-Humanist Construction of Colonial Identity: Artificial Intelligence and Digital Colonialism

Abstract

Walter Benjamin’s understanding of history opposes progressive and linear historiography. According to him, history is a narrative that glorifies the victories of the dominant powers. “The history of the present” is the moment when the past suddenly erupts into the present; it is necessary to amplify the suppressed voices of the oppressed and reinterpret history. This study examines how colonial identity is reconstituted in the age of artificial intelligence and how digital colonialism operates within a post-humanist framework. Using the sociological descriptive content analysis method, practices of cultural domination on digital platforms, data mining, and algorithmic biases have been analyzed. The findings reveal that artificial intelligence systems are constructed in accordance with Western epistemologies, thereby perpetuating colonial power relations. Digital colonialism establishes a new regime of control in which identities are shaped through artificial intelligence. It has been determined that technology companies construct a new colonial order through data exploitation and algorithmic manipulation, further deepening cultural homogenization and digital dependency. This article emphasizes the necessity of developing a critical consciousness against digital colonialism. In the post-humanist era, the body is unchained, yet the mind is bound by data chains. While digital colonialism promises the free circulation of knowledge, it colonizes minds. Colonialism began with physical maps; now, it continues through digital ecosystems.

Keywords

• The history of the present
• Digital colonialism
• Post-humanism
• Algorithmic dominatio
• Data colonialism
• Epistemological hegemony

Kolonyal Kimliğin Post-Hümanist İnşası: Yapay Zekâ ve Dijital Kolonyalizm

Abstract

Walter Benjamin’in tarih anlayışı, ilerlemeci ve doğrusal tarih yazımına karşıdır. Ona göre tarih, egemenlerin zaferlerini yücelten bir anlatıdır. “Şimdiki zamanın tarihi”, geçmişin aniden bugün de patladığı andır; mazlumların bastırılmış seslerini duyurmak ve geçmişi yeniden okumak gerekir. Bu çalışma, yapay zekâ çağında kolonyal kimliğin nasıl yeniden üretildiğini ve dijital sömürgeciliğin post-hümanist bağlamda nasıl işlediğini incelemektedir. Sosyolojik betimsel içerik analizi yöntemiyle, veri madenciliği, algoritmik önyargılar ve dijital platformlarda kültürel tahakküm pratikleri analiz edilmiştir. Bulgular, yapay zekâ sistemlerinin Batılı epistemolojiler doğrultusunda inşa edilerek sömürgeci güç ilişkilerini sürdürdüğünü göstermektedir. Dijital sömürgecilik, kimliklerin yapay zekâ aracılığıyla şekillendirildiği yeni bir denetim rejimi ortaya koymaktadır. Teknoloji şirketlerinin veri sömürüsü ve algoritmik yönlendirme yoluyla alternatif bir kolonyal düzen inşa ettiği, bunun da kültürel homojenleşmeyi ve dijital bağımlılığı derinleştirdiği tespit edilmiştir. Bu makale, dijital sömürgeciliğe karşı eleştirel bir bilinç geliştirilmesi gerektiğini vurgulamaktadır. Post-hümanist çağda beden zincirsizdir ama zihin veri zincirlerine vurulmuştur. Dijital sömürgecilik, bilginin serbest dolaşımını vadederken zihinleri kolonize etmektedir. Kolonyalizm fiziksel haritalarla başladı, şimdi ise dijital ekosistemlerle sürmektedir.

Keywords

• Anın tarihi
• Dijital sömürgecilik
• Post-hümanizm
• Algoritmik tahakküm
• Veri kolonyalizmi
• Epistemolojik hegemonya

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