You are currently browsing the Just Danika weblog archives for the day 17. May 2009.
17. May 2009 by justdanika.
All the different tools available on the internet have allowed people to share more information, collaborate and have better, stronger opinions. The availability of information from all different points of view and from a diverse group of people has been organized and made available to the masses. This sharing of information allows for people to be more informed to make better decisions when place in a group.
Applying these new tools to a democratic system has allowed for better decisions to be made. Decisions can be made without wondering what other people are thinking. You can truly collect and aggregate information and make an informed decision that takes into account your opinions and those of people who agree and disagree with you.
If cocoons are avoided you really will get a more democratic system working. I heard in a speach once that you should always discuss your opinions with someone who does not necessarily agree with you because it will improve your own opinion by 1) forcing you to justify why you think that way and 2) force you to accept that others are going to disagree with you. Democracy is based on this aspect and the internet has allowed people to become better, more well rounded citizens.
Cocoons are truly the biggest issue I can see. People secluding themselves in bubbles, not reading the news, not seeing how other people live, making conjectures about those that are not like them, stereotyping people without asking why and certainly living in spaces that allow them to not see the outside world. All of these types of actions are what will truly break the democracy that we need to keep creating to encourage information sharing and collaboration. I think the best way to make our democracy better is by encouraging people outside of these cocoons and to see the world as it is and then make a judgement based on the actual thing.
“Its marvelous what you can see when you open your eyes.”
-Unknown
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