Al Gore believes the internet has hacked Democracy, and now he wants to use online technology to fight back.
In a recent speech about his new book, The Future, Al Gore says we need to leverage the internet to fight back against politicians and big business.
Speaking to the BBC , Al Gore explains that global electronic communications is one of the six drivers of change and the best way to fight against big money.
As Al Gore explains it:
“Our democracy has been hacked. The operating system has been taken over and turned to uses that are somewhat different than the ones our founders intended to emerge.”
In explaining his ideas, Gore says the internet should be used as a way to fact-check political statements. Gore suggests that citizen journalists will become ever more important in the fight for clearer politics.
Gore also suggests that the internet needs to be used more to empower younger generations through new forms of communication that they understand.
In his new book, Al Gore focuses much of the discussion on the internet and its role in developing countries. Gore notes that the internet provides the means for “robust democratic discourse” although such growth means further issues with cybersecurity and privacy.
Whether or not the internet can actually become the great equalizer of change for Democracy is yet to be seen. What is certain is that the landscape we live in is now predominantly digital, and that digital voice continues to add new views to the discussion of politics and big business.
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