Where:
Secular Hub
254 Knox Ct.
Denver, co, 80219
Just in time for the 2024 election, the Forum will delve into the online frontiers of democracy. In October, we considered how ordinary Americans might free themselves from divisive influencers who untiringly prod at the Red-Blue fault lines for their nefarious purposes. The conversation soon settled upon online participatory systems, such as those successfully implemented by “civil hack-tivist” in Taiwan over a decade ago.
This month we’ll look more closely at open-source online platforms as a means freeing our citizens to develop their own voice free of the distortions that self-serving politicians, corporations, and big media try to impose upon us.
Open source participatory systems are clever and fascinating. They enable large groups to engage constructively on chosen topics. They allow participants to anonymously express their views on the arguments presented and submit their own formulated arguments to the discussion for others to vote on. And most importantly, they re-enfranchise citizens, offering them an agile digital channel by which they can monitor their representatives, share in shaping policy, and influence decision-making. Add a chatbot front end, and we will dramatically increase the public’s presence in the halls of power and may at last move past the gridlock that keeps government from working for the people.
At this next Forum, we will consider who’s been working with the online platforms, what they’ve been doing, and whether we could do it here. If you want to get a jump on the conversation, consider what you’ll find at these links:
· **The Computational Democracy Project**: https://compdemocracy.org/
o Case Studies: https://compdemocracy.org/Case-studies/
· **PartiCipate:** https://participation.digital/platforms-for-digital-participation/
o Case Studies: https://participation.digital/participation-in-action/
· **Finland’s Innovation Fund**: https://www.sitra.fi/en/projects/polis-platform-experiments/
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*Sound interesting? New participants welcomed!*
*Please note that many "Hub regulars" attend the Forum without making a Meetup RSVP. We usually have 20 or so people there. See you soon.*