Trumping Democracy

Trumping Democracy is a probing, thought-provoking documentary that delves into the timeless question: How did we get here? Charting a course from the 2016 United States presidential election, the film focuses on the elaborate web of influencers, big data and digital persuasion that contributed to Donald Trump's surprising ascent to the presidency.

Through intimate interviews, careful scrutiny of events, and the analysis of behind-the-scenes strategies, Trumping Democracy emerges as a sobering exploration of the changing landscape of modern politics. Directed by Thomas Huchon, the film stars Paul-Olivier Dehaye, a mathematician known for his expertise in data privacy, and Michal Kosinski, a leading voice in psychology and data science. They help navigate the complex tapestry of understanding how data-driven marketing strategies have extended to politics and elections.

The documentary portrays an insightful journey that tracks the ascent and influence of Robert Mercer, a secretive billionaire and one of the most significant players in America's recent political scene. Mercer's tremendous wealth and interest in disruptive politics took a leading role in Trump's campaign, largely through his Cambridge Analytica firm that specialized in "micro-targeting" individuals based on data collected via social media and online activity.

The crux of Trumping Democracy is the paradigm shift it illuminates in electioneering and media control. It probes into the transformation of the traditional democratic electoral process into a manipulated market of consume-voter profiles. It insists that the power is no longer solely in the hands of the politicians or even the people, but considerably in the purview of those who control and utilize voters' data.

Alongside the narrative of Mercer's influence, the film underscores the curious case of Cambridge Analytica. An offshoot of the British company SCL Group, it specialised in the sector of 'psychographics', working to create personality profiles based on internet data, that were subsequently used for targeted political advertising.

Contrary to the traditional norm of addressing broad demographics, Trumping Democracy points out how politics has adapted to the modern world by highlighting the shift towards personality-based micro-targeting where messages can be customized to an individual level to influence and mobilize the electorate.

Huchon's documentary doesn't shy away from exposing Facebook's role in the data mining process that significantly bolstered Trump's campaign. It reveals how the social media platform was essentially turned into a tool to sway political opinion by crafting carefully targeted messages that resonated with specific individuals, based on their fears, aspirations and beliefs.

Integral to the film's narrative is the unfolding of Brexit, which is presented as a mysterious parallel to Trump's election. Brexit signalled the rise of a new kind of political campaigning, heavily influenced by digital data. The specific role of Cambridge Analytica in Brexit symbolically tied together two major political upheavals of our time, viewed through the lens of new technology and data-driven strategies.

Trumping Democracy successfully pokes at the soft underbelly of data-driven politics, raising important questions about democracy, power, digital technology, and privacy. The lucidity of its exposition on the convergence of big data, social media and political campaign marks its strength.

At its heart, Trumping Democracy is a cautionary tale of how democracy can be undermined by unchecked digital technology, big data and disinformation. It's a riveting exploration of dark corners of current affairs.