Information Transparency and the Future of Democracy

Twentieth-century technology changed the content, medium, and speed at which Americans learned about political and electoral results. Radio and television in living rooms granted unprecedented access (for that time) to the national information impacting their well-being. Citizens and constituents were granted more opportunity to understand and engage with issues and representatives in a timely manner. Even then, however, that access and response were primarily retrospective in nature.

In 2018, politicians strike deals whose finer details are more-or-less known before the ink dries. We have nearly unprecedented access to “behind closed doors” deliberations, unnamed sources, and global political leaders who engage in debates in 280 characters or less. The populous serves as witness and party to the debates on the merits of legislation, budgets, and even going to war.

Today, it isn’t unimaginable for elected representatives to change positions before voting because their Twitter feed is full of users (some fake) who demand something different. Anonymous sources leak “secret” details of trade agreements that impact stock markets. For better or worse, iPhone cameras and other small recording devices compel many of our representatives to act as if they are being recorded at all times.

The Next Phase in an Ongoing Cycle

We may believe that we find ourselves at a unique juncture in American democratic history. True, aspects of what we’ve experienced during the past two years are “firsts” (like an adversary using technology to influence election outcomes.) And our modern two-party rule was unforeseen (and largely undesired) by the Founding Fathers. A careful read on the situation reveals a challenging political architecture that feels not all that unfamiliar. We know from history that our form of democracy is not sacrosanct. We have changed access to voting many times. It may be time for another shift.

As the national imperatives forced changes to governance, new implications emerged. Parties divided, new ways of disseminating news and information emerged, the people gained more voice. As with any era of fundamental change, questions of reason and response took center stage.

Today’s companies, government entities, and citizens are learning to function in a highly partisan political system in which decisions and news is largely transparent and shared in real-time but may or may not be verifiable. This fluid and tempestuous environment prompts the question — what should the new(est) U.S. “political architecture” look like?

Building a Modern Political Framework

Finding the answer to the question of modern leadership structure begins with answering three initial questions:

There’s a middle-of-the-road scenario. The non-government sector (for- and not-for-profit organizations) assumes more responsibility and accountability for providing the basic needs of our society: security, protection, and enforcing the rule of law. In a 2018 Gallup poll, big business garners some level of trust from 70% of Americans; Congress, meanwhile, gets only 52%. Given the demonstrable lack of trust we have in those we chose to represent us and the relative nascence of AI, this third option seems especially provocative.

At Toffler Associates, we advise our clients about the transformations needed to thrive in the Knowledge Age. While there’s much we don’t know about how information transparency will impact the state of trust and electoral responsibility going forward, we do know one thing for certain. No industry, federal agency, institution, or democracy is immune to disruption.

As we consider the unfettered flow of information and its impact on our advancing political climate, the challenge before us is to understand how democracy will adapt and evolve to new norms and customs. It’s a hard question with many possible answers. We envision those answers will come through discussions about our global power centers and who holds the greatest responsibility for solving national and global issues.

It’s time to engage in an open conversation about the future of information sharing and our national democracy.

John has more than eight years of experience working with large government agencies and multinational corporations. Specifically, he has worked with organizations’ senior leaders and executives to develop long-term strategies, evaluate strategic initiatives, implement risk mitigation strategies, and design approaches to change management. Prior to beginning his career as a consultant, John graduated with a Bachelor Arts — with honors — from the University of Richmond and with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business.

Hans specializes in strategic planning, risk management, resource management, and innovation policy. He helps organizations strengthen their ability to manage enterprise risk. Prior to joining Toffler Associates, Hans worked at SAIC, supporting arms control and complex operations initiatives for the Department of Defense. He has served as a Congressional staff member, worked with the Department of State, and was a Robert Bosch Foundation Fellow in Germany. Hans earned a B.A. with honors in History from Williams College and an M.A. in International Relations and International Economics from Johns Hopkins University.

Related posts:

Reach Records has taken 2017 by storm. With back-to-back albums, EP’s, mixtapes, and singles Reach has released a total of 100 songs to date this year. To celebrate, Reach Records released a playlist…

Chrome thought Guest OS is a Host one, and miss-sent request looking for hardware acceleration support, but the vm one can’t handle it, so cause the serious problem. This one truly annoying me, when…

Is it me or do some of these young children look slightly sinister. The images were all taken by an Edwardian photographer. They are part of a collection of glass plate negatives that I acquired. I…