Many factors contribute to the crises of liberal democracies, but one of the most pressing is political polarisation. Driven by economic inequalities, political disappointments, and cultural conflicts, experts believe technology - especially ICTs, media, and social networks - has significantly intensified this divide. So, how can we secure social harmony and cohesion while also leveraging the democratic potential of these digital tools?
Old Challenges, New Tools
The mechanisms fueling political divisions are much older than social media. All human societies have struggled to integrate outsiders, and during times of uncertainty, nationalist narratives have succeeded in entrenching communities. Human beings are social animals that need interactions with similar and different people to shape their identity through diversification processes. Mechanisms such as Bourdieu’s principle of distinction have always shaped human communities by determining "us" (entitled members) and "them" (outsiders) and diversifying each one’s social role within the community based on status, gender, talents, and personal traits (1).
The Role of Technology
Before the latest technologies began threatening democratic processes, Western democracies were gradually integrating every citizen into decision-making. Public spaces for debate - allegedly - allow representatives from all relevant groups (parliaments, multistakeholder fora, etc.) to express and hear everyone’s perspective, fostering mutual understanding. Democracy thrives on dialogue, respectful confrontation with others, and divergent opinions, often leading to questioning one’s initial beliefs and positions. In short, democracy works when it builds on differences to achieve a common goal.
However, algorithms based on individual profiling that create echo chambers pose a serious threat by pushing for the tribalisation of society. Thanks to social media, people can find solidarity based on ideological standpoints, personal interests, and political affiliations, regardless of their local or parental communities. While this can provide support to minorities, it can also foster alienation and exclusion by disengaging individuals from their ‘physical’ community. Moreover, social media algorithms tend to promote viral content with high emotional impact, leveraging rage and hate to gain users’ attention and engagement, the most important commodity for these platforms. As a result, these mechanisms tend to crystallise diversity and inequalities rather than promote harmonisation and cohesion.
Challenging Algorithmic and Social Determinism
We must break algorithmically-driven determinism and polarisation by developing new or underused forms of popular participation. We can complement data-protection measures with policies limiting micro-profiling or letting people choose how much non-profiled content they see. We can also demand Large Online Platforms’ algorithms be trained to promote dialogue instead of conflict and to enhance the quality of the interaction instead of being merely limited to improve the amount of time spent on the app. Supporting open-source social media networks such as Fedivariety can decentralize communication, thus breaking the oligopoly of governments and Big Tech companies. Additionally, fostering multistakeholder initiatives such as thematic conferences and citizens’ assemblies can promote cohesion and mutual understanding, even on traditionally divisive issues like European integration or climate change.
Eumans’ Role
This is the essence of what Eumans was created to facilitate. We believe in crowdsourcing techniques to improve decision-making practices, such as petitions to European institutions, European Citizens’ Initiatives, and civic-led appeals to the European Ombudsman and the Council of Europe. We also advocate for a Civic European Artificial Intelligence, that is open-source and accessible AI systems subject to rigorous scrutiny and facilitating popular participation (resolutions, laws, referendums, civic assemblies drawn by lot, petitions, etc), to align technological development with human values. Moreover, civic AI may also be embodied in a European digital platform facilitating democratic participation, as envisaged in the Citizens Take Over Europe Manifesto. Most importantly, we think that the health of democratic systems would be significantly improved by realizing the co-creation of policies via digital platforms leveraging collective intelligence (i.e. the cultural background, professional expertise, and other skills and competences possessed by participants of the democratic community) (2). This would help policy-producers (public officials) and users (citizens) to come closer, enhancing mutual legitimacy and empowerment.
By focusing on specific subjects related to sustainability, fundamental rights, and civil liberties Eumans aims to boost citizens’ engagement and democratic debate while mitigating growing political polarization. In an era of empires in conflict and opposing tribes in turmoil, Eumans advocates for a Europe of citizens and a Union based on fundamental rights. It doesn’t matter where you come from, as long as you can significantly contribute to fostering sustainability, civil liberties, and the rule of law.
Join the Movement
Only through democratic dialogue and crowdsourcing can we break surveillance practices and regain social cohesion. Eumans strives to achieve this at a pan-European level.
Help us build a stronger, more united Europe. Make the change, be the change!
- P. Bourdieu, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste, translated by Richard Nice, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press 1984.
- G. Sgueo, The Design of Digital Democracy, Cham, Springer 2023.