The Minefield Can democracy withstand the strategic use of online confusion?
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Sep 20, 2023 Andrea Carson, a Professor of Political Communication at La Trobe University and author of "Investigative Journalism, Democracy and the Digital Age," dives deep into the challenges facing democracy today. She discusses how social media has transformed political discourse, creating confusion and division. The conversation highlights the impact of misinformation, the fragmentation of audiences, and the evolving dynamics of political engagement. Carson emphasizes the necessity of media literacy and collaborative efforts to promote fact-based communication in a chaotic digital landscape.
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Negative Democracy
- Modern politics are characterized by negative coalitions, groups united by shared opposition rather than common goals.
- This makes politics unstable, leading to a pendular swing between opposing forces without constructive progress.
Epistemic Crisis
- Disagreements in politics are expected, but shared facts used to be the basis for debate.
- Now, there's no agreement on epistemology, how we know what's true, eroding the foundation of productive discussions.
Fragmented Public Discourse
- The fragmentation of online information makes public conversation difficult, with people talking about different things.
- The Voice referendum exemplifies this challenge, highlighting the difficulty of a unified public discourse.