A debate on citizen participation in the digital age: trends and prospects

Democracy in debate: how to increase participation in a social media and Internet age, reports Soraia Ramos

Traditional democracy versus digital democracy

The new tools of communication are more and more used to connect people in a cheaper and faster way. Therefore, everything that happens is spread worldwide, sometimes in a matter of seconds.

Mikhail Fedotov, the Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Council of the President of the Russian Federation for Civil Society and Human Rights, considers the importance of social media in everyday actions. “The new information and communication technologies are bringing a new type of individual out,” he said.

“A citizen in their slippers sitting at their home can write a newspaper, can become a television channel, can become a social activist or even a guru. Can become a political activist,” Fedotov says. He reminds the audience that is it “no longer only in the normal political space in their country, but in that space that we call Internet. With no boundaries.”

Role of Internet

“We have to understand, why is the society less and less interested in the traditional democracy?” Fedotov asserts. He considers that the reason is clear: “Because traditional democracy, the representative democracy is no longer satisfactory.”

“Democracy is so weak in places that have recently emerged, because democratic institutions don’t play any part at all,” he explains.

Fedotov also said that Internet represents a lot. “We must stop looking at Internet as a tool, just as a digital electronic tool.”

“Digital democracy is supposed to eventually replace the traditional one, but not as something that cancels the traditional one, but something that grows out of it and in this process of growth, the digital democracy is a wonderful way to develop the traditional one. The two are not antagonists. They are one continuing,” he continues.

In response to one participant question, Adam Nyman, Director of Debating Europe, stated that Internet plays a very active role, even outside of the Brussels bubble, especially between young people and the youth organisations. “Access to Internet should be a fundamental right, like the water access or electricity,” he said.

India, Russia and United States of America were some of the countries referred and discussed by the audience and speakers. The debate also included tweets and was moderated by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Jean-Claude Mignon.

Speakers:

Lois Beckett, Reporter for ProPublica covering the intersection of big data, technology and politics
Michal Boni, Minister of Administration and Digitalisation of the Republic of Poland
Robert Bjarnason, Co-Founder of the Citizens Foundation of Iceland
Mikhail Fedotov, Advisor to the President of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Council of the President of the Russian Federation for Civil Society of the President of the Russian Federation for Civil Society and Human Rights
Adam Nyman, Director of Debating Europe
Stefano Rodota, Professor, Internet and Security.