Amber Jacobsen- Digital Democracy

            Lincoln Dahlberg brought up a new form of democracy that had never been truly considered before. Digital democracy is a concept that didn’t even have the ability to exist until very recently. It is only in the last 15 years that nearly everyone has gained access to the Internet, and the idea of democracy existing in a way that is not achieved in person is a very new model for the world. I feel the most comprehensive and logical model of this is deliberative digital democracy. This model suggests that the Internet is a public forum used for discussion, and as the name suggests, deliberation. Viewing the Internet as a public forum is the best way to see it. This idea is designed for those still forming their opinion on a subject, which I believe is the majority of people. Even if a person is not looking to form their opinion, a forum can help to be more educated about a topic, and even help someone in forming arguments for a debate.

An example that has been prominent recently is the subject of marriage equality. The Equal Sign campaign, run by the Human Rights Campaign began in digital media, and travelled to the rest of the world.

This campaign began on Facebook, and immediately sparked a great deal of digital debate. Whether it was on a profile picture, or on a link to a blog, the red and pink equal sign gained great traction in a very short amount of time. Personally, as a person who did not have a strong opinion on the subject of marriage equality before this campaign, seeing the equal sign all over the Internet really caught my attention.

Over time the Internet is becoming a place for more and more digital democracy, and I feel this is a natural transition. The average American now spends almost 2.5 hours on the computer each day, and obviously not all of this can be spent reading emails or on Facebook (well maybe it can, but that’s just a bit extreme). Most people need to do something productive with their time, and it is only logical for that to be done debating on the computer.

In digital democracy, it is very easy for people to show support for one another’s opinions. This is something that many people value and look for when proposing an idea. Whether it is through positive comments or “liking” a Facebook status, showing agreement is easy when deliberation occurs online.

Digital democracy not only makes sense, but also is a simple principle. Dahlberg had the right idea, and was correct to say that digital democracy is a very useful concept. It has forever changed the way democracy works, and now there is no way to go back to the way it before, so we might as well embrace it.