TED Conversations

Judge Pau

TEDCRED 50+
HostTED TranslatorAssociate

This conversation is closed. Start a new conversation
or join one »

Abolish political structures and bring raw democracy to life with web 2.0 technology

Why do we still need representatives and senators and bureaucracy and all... when the technology like social network and crowdsourcing now enable the people to speak for themselves ?

Vox populi vox dei !

Topics: Web 2.0 bureucracy crowdsourcing democracy elections politic representative social network
+1
Share:
progress indicator
  • thumb

    Harald Jezek 50+

    • +2
    Associate
    Jul 22 2011: Judge, I agree, the systems we have today, don't really work in the interest of the people.
    However, the problem as I see it is that real democracy needs people with a certain minimum of education. People only can make meaningful decisions if the understand what's at stake.
    Unfortunately, this level of education doesn't exist in many countries (including developed ones). There are countries that call themselves democracies but at the same time have a significant percentage of illiterates. Can that really be a democracy ?
    So, in order to make democracy really work, we would first have to improve on the overall level of education. Again, easier said than done. Many governments, especially in under developed and developing countries have only limited interest in a better educated public because more educated = more critical.
    Many of humanity's problems have their root cause in a lack of education.
  • thumb

    Tim Shaw 500+

    • +1
    TEDx Organizer
    Jul 21 2011: An important first step is using technology to allow citizens to interact with governments in a meaningful way. So far (in Canada at least) there are very few examples of citizen participation through social media or crowd-involving tech.

  • Kong Vang

    • 0
    Jul 21 2011: I don't see it happening any time soon. Most of all the world population is not educated enough to unit as one nation. People will have to stop thinking about their differences and understand that all of us are human being, and we all are here on Earth to survive, period.
  • thumb

    Ian Gordon

    • +2
    Jul 21 2011: Hmmm. A very difficult one to think through. I do think current democracy is inadequate and doesn't really represent the people or promote participation, so a system with flexible structures that quickly responds to peoples needs and desires would be exciting. However, without a government to hold everything together, you'd just have increasingly fragmented groups. There would no longer be a nation, and so your country would get taken over by another.

    I think it works for business (as is happening), but not for international affairs or the military, and it would be difficult to co-ordinate major projects such as a national rail programme.

    On the up side, people would be much more connected to society, and there are lots of benefits to this such as reduced crime and more environmental responsibility. Maybe if it could be done globally, without being destroyed by leaders with armies, it would bring a tremendous social revolution, and an end to major wars. No more national boundaries, just a planetary network, with freedom of movement.

    The difficulty is breaking down all the current institutions that don't align with this dream, as well as getting through the chaos of transition as everyone found their place in the new order.
Showing all 4 comments