12.2 The Concept of Digital Democracy
255
As many people realized after the Cambridge Analytical scandal,
41 Facebook can be
used in very manipulative ways. Algorithms determine which opinions will spread
and which ideas will never get noticed. Some people would say, it is a propaganda
and censorship tool, which is disguised as a platform for the “freedom of speech”.
A similar thing might apply to other Social Media as well.
In recent years, many Social Media have been criticized for becoming platforms
that promote flame wars and hate speech, misinformation and fake news. Hence,
they are often presented as proofs for the “madness of crowds”.
42 It is then typically
concluded that one should not offer The People a stronger participation in political
decision-making processes. However, this conclusion is short-sighted, as the Social
Media of today are not designed to promote the “Wisdom of Crowds” and even
undermine it.
43 They are built on the principle of the “attention economy”.
44 That
is, those who get more attention will have more influence. No wonder discussions
are getting ever more noisy, more fake, and more emotional. This is what maximizes
attention. It is also no wonder that Social Media have become battlefields for our
minds.
45 Often enough, one gets the impression we are in the middle of an information
war.
The “Digital Democracy” I have in mind is of a very different nature. It is not
about one fraction of people winning over another fraction of people. It is about
learning to combine the best ideas of many minds which each other. The goal is to
find better solutions—solutions that work for many, solutions that empower us. But
how to do this? Similar to what we discussed before, this goes in several steps:
1. Exploration: Information search and search for solutions.
2. Sharing: Information exchange to give the “big picture”.
3. Integration: Development of integrated solution approaches through deliberation.
4. Voting: Selection of the best integrated solution.
This process could be realized with suitable platforms for “Massive Open Online
Deliberation” (MOODs).
46 Let me now explain the different steps in more detail.
First, it is important that various individuals will search for relevant information
on a given problem and for possible solution approaches. These would be analogous
to the “scouts” mentioned before. In this step, it is crucial that the scouts pursue
diverse approaches. It is also important that these individuals will not be manipulated, because this could reduce the solution space explored, which might prevent
finding the best possible solution. Consequently, during the first step, the information platforms used should not influence them by recommendations, and the scouts
41 Kaiser [16].
42 MacKay [17].
43 Lorenz et al. [18].
44 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy; Davenport and Beck [19].
45 Wylie [20].
46 How to make democracy work again in the digital age, Huffington Post Blog (August
4, 2016) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-make-democracy-work-in-the-digital-age_
us_57a2f488e4b0456cb7e17e0f.
255
As many people realized after the Cambridge Analytical scandal,
41 Facebook can be
used in very manipulative ways. Algorithms determine which opinions will spread
and which ideas will never get noticed. Some people would say, it is a propaganda
and censorship tool, which is disguised as a platform for the “freedom of speech”.
A similar thing might apply to other Social Media as well.
In recent years, many Social Media have been criticized for becoming platforms
that promote flame wars and hate speech, misinformation and fake news. Hence,
they are often presented as proofs for the “madness of crowds”.
42 It is then typically
concluded that one should not offer The People a stronger participation in political
decision-making processes. However, this conclusion is short-sighted, as the Social
Media of today are not designed to promote the “Wisdom of Crowds” and even
undermine it.
43 They are built on the principle of the “attention economy”.
44 That
is, those who get more attention will have more influence. No wonder discussions
are getting ever more noisy, more fake, and more emotional. This is what maximizes
attention. It is also no wonder that Social Media have become battlefields for our
minds.
45 Often enough, one gets the impression we are in the middle of an information
war.
The “Digital Democracy” I have in mind is of a very different nature. It is not
about one fraction of people winning over another fraction of people. It is about
learning to combine the best ideas of many minds which each other. The goal is to
find better solutions—solutions that work for many, solutions that empower us. But
how to do this? Similar to what we discussed before, this goes in several steps:
1. Exploration: Information search and search for solutions.
2. Sharing: Information exchange to give the “big picture”.
3. Integration: Development of integrated solution approaches through deliberation.
4. Voting: Selection of the best integrated solution.
This process could be realized with suitable platforms for “Massive Open Online
Deliberation” (MOODs).
46 Let me now explain the different steps in more detail.
First, it is important that various individuals will search for relevant information
on a given problem and for possible solution approaches. These would be analogous
to the “scouts” mentioned before. In this step, it is crucial that the scouts pursue
diverse approaches. It is also important that these individuals will not be manipulated, because this could reduce the solution space explored, which might prevent
finding the best possible solution. Consequently, during the first step, the information platforms used should not influence them by recommendations, and the scouts
41 Kaiser [16].
42 MacKay [17].
43 Lorenz et al. [18].
44 See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attention_economy; Davenport and Beck [19].
45 Wylie [20].
46 How to make democracy work again in the digital age, Huffington Post Blog (August
4, 2016) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-to-make-democracy-work-in-the-digital-age_
us_57a2f488e4b0456cb7e17e0f.