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The Documentary: Can technology save democracy?

Can technology save democracy?

21/03/2023 GMT

BBC World Service - The Documentary, Can technology save democracy?

Is technology eroding democracy or can it reconnect citizens to their governments?

The storming of the Brazilian Parliament and Congress by the supporters of the former president Jair Bolsonaro came almost two years to the day that Donald Trump’s supporters did the same in the United States. 

And the two events shared another similarity; both sets of supporters were egged-on by social media posts, and mobilised by private messages on apps like WhatsApp and Telegram. They are examples of how technology is being used to erode democracy – but can it also be used to strengthen it? 

In Nigeria, activists are using apps to hold politicians to account. In Taiwan, parliament is turning social-media algorithms on their head to engage citizens. Estonia has gone further, putting practically all government functions online. David Baker talks to people at the forefront of this revolution in civic tech and asks, can technology save democracy?

Presenter: David Baker 
Producer: Ravi Naik 

(Photo: Bolsonaro supporters storm the National Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, 08 January 2023. Credit: Andre Borges/EPA-EFE/Rex/Shutterstock)

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