internet - openDemocracy (Page 35)

Democratic dreams and political reality in Europe

A report on European attitudes to democracy, backed up by data from the European Social Survey, is launched today to mark the UN day for democracy. The main message for the political class is that an increasingly qualified and demanding public opinion does not deserve to be administered from above

By Daniele Archibugi

/ 15 Sep 2014

Why we can’t trust current analysis of the Islamic State

The rise of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has taken everyone in the west by surprise, resulting in a frenzy of speculation as we try to piece together a number of complicated factors and events. We first have to recognise how our understanding is shaped by a sensationalist, alarmist and soun

By Richard McNeil Willson

/ 11 Sep 2014

What I learned from going cold turkey on technology

After I developed RSI, the use of social media led to crippling pain which forced me to confront my compulsion to react. What would life be like if everyone thought twice?

By Niki Seth-Smith

/ 8 Sep 2014

News credibility in an age of stakeholder media

Are reporters mere adjuncts of power and spies? That is how ISIS treated the martyred journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff. To this day, the failure of the American news industry to expose the Bush administration’s WMD myths before the invasion of Iraq is thrown in our faces.

By Mark Lee Hunter

/ 4 Sep 2014

The challenge of conspiracy theories – how to enhance critical thinking against the critical thinkers?

Conspiracy theories are extremely helpful for leaders provoking violent conflicts. They simplify the world, victimise the ingroup, diabolise the enemy, and give justification for violence.

By Péter Krekó

/ 4 Sep 2014

Why the Internet makes the personal even more political

Online interactions have changed the ways people participate in politics. The second in our series on social media and the transformation of society.

By Cristina Maza

/ 3 Sep 2014

Rehabilitating perpetrators of violent extremism and hate crime: the importance of gender-based approaches and the limits of online interventions

Counter-messaging and counter-arguing is invaluable for the resilience of our societies, but often does not have the intended impact on the target group, since arguing only strengthens their radicalisation. So what should we do?

By Harald Weilnböck

/ 2 Sep 2014

Why social media won’t transform our politics

Is there a sweet spot between online and offline activism?

By Stephen Hopgood

/ 1 Sep 2014

In praise of family existentialism

Two enraged, thrilling epics of the everyday make the reader the equivalent of the algorithm, seeking patterns amidst the mess, but accepting that there's no causal grand theory. A review.

By William Davies

/ 27 Aug 2014

Re-writing Egypt's unforgettable history

The old tactics of governance are back with a vengeance in Egypt, however, the youth have changed and through their embrace of modern day technologies will not sit back and watch this process of historical revisionism and whitewashing.

By Mina Fayek

/ 16 Aug 2014

Towards a standard open decisions API

In the coming months, we look forward to helping move toward shared principles or standards for open government decision-making APIs. This work is highly political; therefore, we welcome the participation of any interested individuals in this project.

By Jogi Poikola, Markus Laine, James McKinney, Scott Hubli, Jared Ford and Greg Brown

/ 10 Aug 2014

A select #IndyRef glossary (for voters, bloggers, writers and tweeters)

"When it comes to 18 September we need to know whereof we speak. It helps us to see through the hyperbole and obfuscation that abounds in the debate."

By Fraser MacDonald

/ 5 Aug 2014