Triptych on Democracy in Digital Times

Amsterdam, November 11, 2020 - Cabaratist recently called out Arjen Lubach the social media giants are still taking action with regard to 'the myth trap'. Is democratic decision-making burdened by streams of fake news, alternative facts and other post-truth perils? If so, who will fix it? In the midst of a pandemic, and with national elections looming, much is at stake. Together with the Council for Public Administration, we assess in De Balie the state of truth-finding and democracy in the digitized public sphere. In a triptych, we take a critical look at the influence of digitization on our democracy.

Monday November 30 at 7:00 PM: Democracy in Digital Times: Reality Check

Good information and reliable sources are crucial for a democratic society. If reliable information is provided by the same platforms in the same way as misleading information and fake news, citizens will not be able to distinguish and form their judgment properly. This goes to the heart of the democratic process and can make it unstable. Should social media differentiate better in the quality of information? How do we prevent citizens from becoming entangled in the online maze of fake news and disinformation? With ao Sanne Kruikemeier, Jeroen de Ridder, Sarah de Lange, Maurits Martijn, Daniëlle Arets and moderator Jasper Zuure.

Monday December 7 at 7:00 PM: Democracy in Digital Times: Criticism in Crisis Times

Social media has now become a central place where citizens discuss policy with each other. The hashtag #ikdoenietmeermee clearly showed during the corona crisis how dissent on social media can stir up a lot of controversy both politically and socially. What responsibility do citizens, government and digital platforms have with regard to critical opposing views, even during a crisis? With ao Madeleijn van den Nieuwenhuizen (Zeikschrift), Marion Koopmans, Frank van Ommeren, Wim Voermans and moderator Jasper Zuure.

Monday December 14 at 19:00: Democracy in digital times: Who can steer with data?

You may already have the CoronaMelder on your phone. On the basis of this new app, we will enter into dialogue with its makers and other experts about digitization and the power of government and politics. How far can government go if a digital development appears to be for the good of society or even the citizen themselves? How problematic is the lack of digital knowledge at the government itself if it wants to make policy based on personal data? How do we solve that? With ao Marleen Stikker, Ron Roozendaal, Martiene Branderhorst, Brenno de Winter and moderator Jasper Zuure.

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