Democracy`s digital prospects: lessons from Brazil, Iceland and Spain | Eddie Copeland
(The Guardian Brazil)

Governments around the world are using digital tools to engage citizens, having a say on budgets, and counteract fake newsCan digital technology offer democracy anything other than trouble? Concerns are growing that platforms like Facebook and Twitter help create partisan echo chambers, spread fake news and render intelligent argument impossible when clicks are valued more than facts. Yet there is a more positive outlook. Around the world, countries have been experimenting with a new set of digital tools specifically designed to engage with citizens in more meaningful ways. Tools that notify them when the issues they care about are discussed in parliament. Tools that let them propose their own ideas, debate the ideas of others, and give them a say on how local budgets are spent and how laws are drafted. Related: Why the future of democracy is digital Digital democracy cannot just be a website. Continue reading...