Text 1: Technology optimist Dr. Sarah Miller celebrates digital democracy. "Internet platforms enable citizen voices previously excluded from public discourse," Miller writes. "Social media democratizes speech, bypassing traditional media gatekeepers."
Text 2: Media researcher Dr. James Wong studies platform dynamics. "Algorithmic amplification favors outrage and sensationalism," Wong reports. "Democratic potential exists, but platform architecture shapes which voices spread. New gatekeepers replace old ones."
What does Wong suggest limits the democratic potential Miller celebrates?
That platforms have no users at all
That algorithmic design creates new forms of gatekeeping
That traditional media never existed
That speech has no democratic value
Correct Answer: B
Choice B is the correct answer. Miller celebrates bypassing old gatekeepers. Wong argues algorithms create "new gatekeepers"—different selection mechanisms, not absence of selection. Power shifted, not eliminated.
- Evidence: Wong: "New gatekeepers replace old ones."
- Reasoning: Platform architecture shapes visibility regardless of old media.
- Conclusion: Algorithmic gatekeeping limits Miller's democratization.
Choice A is incorrect because Wong studies platform dynamics. Choice C is incorrect because Wong accepts traditional media existed. Choice D is incorrect because Wong sees "democratic potential."