alt Hacker NewsThere's no reason why democracy can't peak again and reach new heights. But that won't happen automatically.
Personally I think there are technological preconditions for stable democracy that have recently been countered by authoritarian leaning technology. We need to invent counter technology to those things.
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I disagree that there's a technological solution to late stage capitalism and the slow death of liberal democracy.
New technology doesn't change anything about social institutions - the most powerful groups before the technology was invented simply own the technology after it's invented and use it to further cement their power.
I think the luddites were on to something. We don't need technology, we need humans doing things a little differently, maybe even doing bizarre things like setting factories on fire. Personally I hope we can try other things before setting factories on fire, see Keith McHenry's version of The Anarchist Cookbook for peaceful resistance solutions as well.
The point is though without a restructure, new technology doesn't liberate, in fact it further entrenches existing power structures.
There is no authoritarian leaning technology. People figured out how to create 1984 while saying they defend free speech.
It is simply that, eventually, people learn how to use technology to their advantage.