Is this a problem? Yes, sometimes it is. The exercise of power without transparency is always problematic, and there’s a reason why democratic countries have laws requiring that important communications be documented and preserved. The latest “Signal Chat” is probably illegal for several reasons, at least on paper, and it would be in Sweden, too.

At the same time, it should be remembered that it is not the group chat technology itself that is the culprit here. Technology has just made it much easier to achieve what used to be done in other forums. In the same way that group chats between classmates have replaced phone chains, chatting with those in power is essentially a modern version of the old gentlemen’s clubs — now in your pocket. And technology or not, it is still possible for people in power to meet over lunch without any transparency.

However, group chat as a phenomenon remains interesting and I think that when future sociologists study how society and people’s social interaction and decision-making changed with digitalization, group chats will actually play a central role.