Intellectual Colonialism in the Era of Digitalization

Over the centuries, colonialism developed both in terms of geography and the change of its form. The XIII to the early XX centuries’ forms of colonialism included the political, economic, and military annexation of territories, while as of the middle of the twentieth century colonialism has taken on the new forms of cultural and intellectual enslavement, where universities and the media have become the leading agents of intellectual colonialism. However, the XXI century has made changes in the technology of intellectual enslavement. The rapid transition to the digital society has had an impact on the development of intellectual colonialism. In this chapter, the authors analyze the use of the Internet and smart technologies to enhance the processes of intelligent colonialization. Along with the traditional agents of intellectual colonialization such as educational institutions and the media alternative forms of education and information are emerging Blogs, Twitter, Chats, Tik-Tok, etc. Therefore, it is important to find out the way these new forms universalize the cultural identifications of individuals and countries. In traditional forms of colonialism, the colonizer was clearly identified, while in the digital space of the Internet and intelligent technologies it stays an elusive phenomenon. It can be an individual, a group of people, an organization, or a country. © 2024 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.