The Pros and Cons of Imagining Democracy on a Global Level

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i propose the creation of what i call a global digital services organization. I suggest that it could be like a specialized agency of the u.N, like the international tele communications union or the i l o. And you know, it could first be set up by a levee on the profits of tech companies. This is the kind of organization that we might turn to for providing some kind of funding and coordination in building these alternative platforms. It's not out of the realm of thin air; there are so many examples of digital services and software that would have this universal application. But i think that international level is really important because we don't even have democracy itself on the international level.

Paris Marx is joined by James Muldoon to discuss his vision for platform socialism and the different ways we could reorganize platforms to serve the public good over corporate profit.

James Muldoon is the author of Platform Socialism: How to Reclaim our Digital Future from Big Tech. He’s also a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter and the Head of Digital Research at Autonomy. Follow James on Twitter at @james_muldoon_.

Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.

Find out more about Harbinger Media Network at harbingermedianetwork.com.

Also mentioned in this episode:

James wrote about why web3 won’t save the internet.
Paris wrote about what’s wrong with discourses about decentralization and why we should nationalize Amazon.
Francesca Bria was interviewed by Crypto Syllabus about web3, decentralization, and her experience with municipal tech projects.
Facebook’s Project Amplify ensured users saw positive stories about the company.
Antonio Negri and Dalla Costa were among the Italian Autonomist Marxists thinking about the social factory. Karl Marx wrote about the concept of surplus value.
G.D.H. Cole wrote about guild socialism. James also mentions the work of Otto Neurath.