‘Democracy is in crisis’, it is often said. Experts even fear that democracy will not survive the digital age. Fake news is destroying democracy and political indifference among young people is increasing.
Recent research from the Lancet planetary Health Journal found that two-thirds of young people between 16 and 25 years of age agree with the statement that Humanity is doomed...
But what if democracy is much more alive than we think?
Without us realizing it, a democratic revolution is taking place worldwide. Not in the polling stations, but on the street and online. In Alive and clicking, Rudy van Belkom combines insights from scientific research with inspiring stories and examples worldwide that open the door to a hopeful future.
Young Voices Network Essays
Our network of Young Voices has contributed with various essays and that shows that they have a great voice! See the contribution from Amna Habiba below.
Teach the future contribution on page 287 onwards. The book is currently available in Dutch awaiting an English Publisher.
About Rudy van Belkom
Rudy van Belkom is a Dutch futures researcher and speaks and writes about the impact of technology on our society. According to him, the question is not what future we will get, but what future we want. "No futuristic storyline with visuals about drones and robots, but a scientifically based talk that makes you think", according to one of his clients.
He is currently conducting research on behalf of The Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends (STT) into the impact of technology on the future of democracy. For the 2022 Dutch parliamentary elections, he developed the ‘Technology Kieswijzer’, an innovative election compass on tech related topics such as privacy, fake news and the power of Big Tech. More than 30,000 people made use of this voting tool. These insights formed the basis for his new book about hope for democracy: ‘Alive and Clicking’.
He previously researched the future of artificial intelligence (AI) on behalf of STT. Within this research, he published three publications (including ‘AI no longer has a plug’) and developed an Ethical Design Game for AI (‘Ethics Inc.’).
Check out the presentation (in Dutch) of the book.