As online life expands, neighborhood life and social trust decline. With modern information technology, the state can shape the intimate information pond in which we swim. I don’t want to pretend that everything will be easy for the Stalin of the 21st century. When people have a smartphone in their hand, they feel that they should have a voice, that they should be broadcasting, that they should have agency and dignity. Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

Source: New York Times March 12, 2019 00:33 UTC