WHAT IS DEMOCRACY?
IF YOU’RE A MACHINE
Democracy isn’t relevant we just check to see if things are working.
YOU ARE NOT A MACHINE
DEMOCRACY
IS YOUR ABILITY TO GOVERN THE USE OF COLLECTIVE POWER
DEMOCRACY THEREFORE DEPENDS ON MEDIA
MEDIA INFORMS YOUR VALUES, NEEDS AND DESIRES
MEDIA AND THE MEDIUM EVOLVE
THE MEDIUM YOU ARE USING NOW
IS DESIGNED TO MOTIVATE YOUR DESIRES – PUBLIC CONSCIOUSNESS
AND, “THE MEDIUM IS THE MESSAGE”
(Marshall McLuhan predicted that electronic media would shrink the world into a single interconnected “global village,” allowing instant communication across vast distance)
FOR EXAMPLE:
ADVERTISING PLATFORMS
META, TIKTOK ETC.
NOT DESIGNED TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY
BECAUSE THEY ARE ONE WAY, TOP DOWN
YOU LISTEN AND YOU SEE COMPLAINTS: POVERTY-HUNGRY CHILDREN-STARVING FAMILIES-PORN-DROUGHT-CELEBRETIES-FAMINE-GENOCIDE-UNSUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT-CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECTS-WAR-PANDEMIC–EARTHQUAKE-TORNADO-INFLATION-CORRUPTION-INCOMPETENCE-FASHION-FREAKS-CELEBRITIES-CARS
NO OPTIONS FOR YOU TO BE HEARD
THE MESSAGE IS THAT YOU CAN DO NOTHING
IN CONTRAST
THE MESSAGE OF ENTERTAINMENT MEDIUM
ASPIRE TO BE HOPEFUL LOVING LOVED INSPIRED
YOU ARE ALL GOD’S CHILDREN
*BUT GOD IS DEAD OR NOT LISTENING)
MEDIA INFORMS SOCIAL NORMS
WHO IS AND WHAT IS IMPORTANT
WHAT YOU WANT
WHO YOU VOTE FOR AND WHY
WHAT DEFINES YOU AS A MAN OR WOMAN
WHAT IS TOLERATED
WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL (SICK) OR REPULSIVE
THE RIGHT/WRONG CAR/SPOUSE/DOG
WHO YOU SHOULD AND SHOULDN’T LISTEN TO
WHO IS CENSORED OR DENOUNCED
THE ALGORITHM OF YOUR NEWS FEED
TRENDING MELODRAMA
AND THE IMPOSSIBLE NONSENSICAL IDEA
THAT YOU ARE SOMEHOW RESPONSIBLE
WHO YOU ARE
The current population of the Americas—North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and South America—approximately 1,062,000,000 HUMANS
AVAILABLE TO YOU ONLY THROUGH YOUR IMAGINATION
YOU ARE 8,314,913,500 DIVERSE HUMAN LIVES
YOU LIVE IN 2.5 TO 4.3 MILLION GEOGRAPHIC COMMUNITIES
YOU SPEAK MORE THAN 7,200 KNOWN LANGUAGES
THE UN RECOGNIZES 193 OF YOUR NATION STATES
YOU SHARE ONE PLANET IN A GALAXY YOU CALL, THE MILKY WAY
MEDIA INFORMS BELIEFS
THAT SHAPE YOUR PERCEPTIONS
MEDIA CREATES ILLUSIONS
(PAY TO PLAY)
MEDIA
IS AN INSTITUTIONALLY PROMOTED REALITY
WHY ARE SOME REWARDED
WHOM DO WE LISTEN TO
WHY?
The assumption that posts on social media are evidence of public authorization seems strange.
BUT UNDERSTANDABLE
YOU ARE CODED FOR IT
LIKE A MACHINE IN A WAY
BY definition the conscious expression of a community about collective authorization of public power is the political will of the community…
BUT WHEN YOU DON’T AUTHORIZE COLLECTIVE POWER
THE WEALTH AND POWER OF A REPUBLIC
DEFAULTS TO OWNERS OF THE MEDIA
(WHO REALLY OWNS THE PRESS – THE OCEAN – THE STARS)
WHO DECIDES WHAT FACES WE SEE IN MEDIA?
ELON MUSK-PETER THIEL-HARVEY WEINSTEIN-BIBI NETANYAHU-RICHARD NIXON
J.D. VANCE-JOE BIDEN, KAMALA HARRIS, STEVE BANNON, JEFF BEZOS,
WHOSE MACHINES INFORM YOUR DESIRE?
WHO MANIPULATES YOUR FEELINGS?
WHY DO WE CALL ALGORITHMS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
THE MESSAGE OF ENTERTAINMENT MEDIUM
IS AN ADDICTIVE NARRATIVE
CODED BY AN ALGORITHM
THAT ANALYZES YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
THE MACHINE DOESN’T “KNOW”
DOESN’T “CARE”
ABOUT YOU OR YOUR LIFE
YOUR HAPPINESS
THE ALGORITHM ISN’T CONSCIOUS
(DOESN’T TASTE DOESN’T DRINK DOESN’T SMOKE)
THE MACHINE IS NOT “INTELLIGENT”
THE ALGORITHM IS CODE
BUT MEDIA CAN BE CONVINCING
MARK ZUCKERBERG, META
GLOBAL PLATFORMS
ARE CENTRALLY CONTROLLED
BY ALGORITHMS
WITH NO MORAL CODE
NO ETHICAL STANDARDS
NO COMPASSION
NO PROBLEM
(FOR TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES)
THE MEDIUM IS POLITICAL
BECAUSE IT SHAPES
PERCEPTIONS
By selecting, arranging, and representing your reality
MEDIA SHAPES YOUR PERCEPTIONS
MEDIA TELLS YOU
YOU ARE TO BLAME!
YOU ARE SOLD CARS
YOU DESIRE A HIGH ENERGY LIFESTYLE
ALTERNATIVES ARE DIFFICULT
IT WILL MAKE YOUR LIFE WORK
YOU CAUSE FOSSIL FUEL EMISSIONS
BEFORE THE SHINE FADES ON THE TESLA
YOU LEARN YOU MUST ADAPT
(PAY FOR THE DAMAGE)
YOU COMMISERATE AT BURNING MAN
SING ABOUT IT AT COACHELLA
DANCE IN EDINBURGH
STREAMING MEDIA
LEADS YOU TO SUPPORT WARS THAT YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND
YOU DO WITHOUT HEALTHCARE
YOU PAY UNAFFORDABLE RENT
YOU ACCEPT OVER-PRICED,
POOR EDUCATION
YOU TACITLY PAY FOR GENOCIDE
BUT, YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME!
MEDIA CREATES ILLUSIONS
MEDIA SUGGESTS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN POLITICAL PARTIES
LEADERS OF THE GLOBAL COMMERCIAL MEDIUM
DESIGNED FOR ADVERTISING
HAVING NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR PROMOTIONS
LOBBIED CONGRESS
TO DEREGULATE COMMUNICATIONS
WHICH THEY SAID THEY ARE BAD FOR BUSINESS
Circumstances that are presented as reality in “official” media are produced through human institutions and decisions, with the public in the role of observer and reactor rather than author.
What do you know about the national debt?
THE U.S. NATIONAL DEBT EXCEEDS $40 TRILLION
TAXPAYERS PAY ABOUT A TRILLION DOLLARS
INTEREST ON THE NATIONAL DEBT
TO WHOM?
When did the public authorize bombing Palestine?
Did we choose to increase our risk of nuclear proliferation?
POLITICIANS DON’T FORGET TO ASK
WHAT YOU WANT
THEY ARE NOT REQUIRED TO ASK YOU
IT’S NOT IN THEIR JOB DESCRIPTION
AND COULD BE INCONVENIENT FOR DONORS
THIS IS THE SYSTEM, WORKING NORMALLY
WAR — CLIMATE — FAMINE — PUBLIC DEBT — DEVELOPMENT
DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE
CONSEQUENCES ARE BEING PRODUCEDWHAT HAVE WE UNDERSTOOD?
WHAT HAVE WE AUTHORIZED?
YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME FOR THIS
BUT YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
GLOBAL CONDITIONS EMERGE FROM LOCAL DECISIONS
GLOBAL PROBLEMS ARE CREATED
BY LOCAL DECISIONS
ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL
Local land use policy, investment, regulation, development,
infrastructure and institutional priorities have consequences.
COMMERCIAL MEDIA HAS MADE US OBSERVERS AND REACTORS,
RATHER THAN AUTHORS OF OUR LIVES
THE MESSAGE OF COMMERCIAL MEDIA
IS THAT WE CAN’T CHANGE OUR CIRCUMSTANCES
HOWEVER
CHANGING THE MEDIUM
NEVER BEFORE IN HUMAN HISTORY
have people been inclusively engaged with guiding their government…
Never before was it possible
Plato gave up on democracy because it couldn’t be done
NOW WITH TECHNOLOGY
WE CAN HAVE DEMOCRACY
NOT A MOMENT TOO SOON
Democracy is a community’s capacity
to consciously
exercise its collective power.
DEMOCRACY REQUIRES LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE
*POLITICS IS LOCAL*
COORDINATED ACTION NETWORKS
*CAN*
CAN is infrastructure for communication through which a community can become conscious of itself, people can exercise agency and responsibility, and together consciously nurture and care for life within, around, and affected by it.
A BREAKTHROUGH WITH CLOUD TECHNOLOGY
DEMOCRATIC AUTHORIZATION OF PUBLIC POWER
The measure of a community is not how efficiently it governs itself,
but how well it cares for people generally
and nurtures its children specifically.
ON THE CUSP OF INTENTIONAL DESIGN
AN INTENTIONALLY POLITICAL MEDIUM
Not merely more and better content
CAN
Communication makes agency and responsibility possible.
Agency and responsibility make intentional care possible.
The legacy commercial medium was optimized for ads to manipulate consumers and incite public reaction.
CAN IS OPTIMIZED FOR ITS USERS
CAN serves its community by providing a medium through which the community can see and understand circumstances, form judgments about them, establish authentic political will, authorize action, and coordinate power.
Politically, the power of community appears as collective authorization.
Spiritually, its power appears when separate lives become meaningful in relation to one another.
COORDINATED ACTION NETWORKS
INFRASTRUCTURE FOR DEMOCRACY
CAN changes people from objects of institutional action into organized agents
capable of authorizing collective power.
THE PEOPLE SET THE AGENDA
YOU SHOW UP
On your community’s platform
YOU LISTEN
Problems, ideas, concerns
Personal experience
YOU SPEAK
Find common interests
Challenge assumptions
QUESTION
Find out what holds up
PROPOSE/DISCUSS
Negotiate
Challenge
Propose
BUILD CONSENSUS
A collective voice
AUTHORIZE
Coordinate resources
PRESERVE PLURALITY
CAN HELPS DEVELOP RESOURCES AND TALENT
COORDINATED ACTION NETWORKS
TECHNOLOGY FOR DEMOCRATIC INFRASTRUCTURE
A process through which people
share reliable information;
trade experiences and goods
identify uncertainties;
examine objectives, alternatives, risks, and consequences;
aggregate power
hear different points of view;
make agreements; define differences; create boundaries;
authorize common priorities, and set limits;
Coordinate resources and action;
preserve commitments and public records; and
hold institutions and representatives accountable
LIFE-SAVING COORDINATION IN EMERGENCIES
maintain communication
coordinate volunteers
communities support others
share vital resources
facilitate government efforts
CAN EMPOWERS COLLECTIVE ACTION
HELP IMPLIES DISABILITY
Historically, philanthropy follows a familiar structure:
Funders identify a problem.
Organizations design an intervention.
Institutions allocate resources.
People receive services.
Success is measured in beneficiaries reached.
Relieving suffering does not change who holds the power to make consequential decisions
CAN is not principally an intervention delivered to underserved people.
CAN is infrastructure through which people cease to occupy the institutional category of “underserved beneficiaries.”
CAN participants define the problem, establish what is true, determine priorities, make consequential choices, coordinate resources, and hold institutions accountable.
PLAYAS DE TIJUANA
DEVELOPERS WANT TO BUILD 9 HIGHRISE TOWERS WITH 1600 UPSCALE APARTMENTS, AND A HOTEL AND SHOPPING MALL
IN A CONSERVATION AREA
Water & energy outages are already frequent
Traffic is already intolerable
RESIDENTS ARE OBJECTING
THE COMMUNITY ISN’T ORGANIZED
The community remains inside the process the development system already knows how to defeat: hearings, objections, petitions, scattered evidence, procedural delay and exhaustion.
When we have a say in development decisions
Development is sustainable
When communities can sustain themselves
GLOBAL COOLING IS INDEPENDENTLY ACTIONABLE
COLONIAL RELATIONSHIPS DON’T BEGIN WITH MALICIOUS INTENTION
“BANALITY OF EVIL” – HANNAH ARENDT
Food, housing, healthcare, education and emergency assistance are essential.
Charity reflects kind intention but is not self-government
A community should not have to be powerless to qualify for help.
CAN makes collective agency itself the infrastructure
Communities must be actors, not waiting for handouts.
Actions that produce or reverse global warming are local
Community consensus can drive and fund coordinated action
Homes can be affordable
Communities can be livable
Childcare can support parents
Parks can be preserved
Local economies can thrive
Government decisions must serve the governed
What people agree on—right now, moving the world
CAN’s architecture does not assume that today’s human institutions, today’s internet, or today’s electromagnetic communications represent the final form of intelligent relationship.
THE MEDIUM IS EVOLVING
CAN is not designed around any particular communications technology. CAN is an architecture through which autonomous communities can understand themselves, build consensus, create wealth, carry out plans, create shared identity and document provenance, negotiate relationships and boundaries, establish consent, coordinate consequential action and preserve autonomy.
COORDINATED ACTION NETWORKS
TECHNOLOGY FOR A DEMOCRATIC CIVIC MEDIUM
Communications infrastructure through which people in communities can cooperate, establish legitimate relationships, and coordinate consequential action without surrendering individual autonomy
CAN is beginning with geographically-bounded human communities–not as a limit, but as a way to understand how a medium empowers responsibility