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Bright Mirror: How Latin America Is Enhancing Digital Democracy by Cecilia Nicolini and Matías Bianchi

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Bright Mirror: How Latin America Is Enhancing Digital Democracy by Cecilia Nicolini and Matías Bianchi All views expressed in the Latin America Policy Journal are those of the authors or the interviewees only and do not represent the views of Harvard University, the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the staff of the Latin America Policy Journal, or any associates of the Journal. All errors are authors’ responsibilities. © 2018 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Except as otherwise specified, no article or portion herein is to be reproduced or adapted to other works without the expressed written consent of the editors of the Latin America Policy Journal. Bright Mirror: How Latin America is Enhancing Digital Democracy by Cecilia Nicolini and Matías Bianchi Abstract Digital Democracy has emerged as a phenomenon that aims to transform the entire relation between state and society, potentially being able to fix the current crisis of liberal democracies. Despite the fact that reality is showing that we are far from that technological panacea, many government and social movements are using those tools to empower marginalized actors, to make governments more transparent and accountable, and to make policies more participa- tory. This article unpacks the opportunities and challenges digital democracy has to offer, and reviews specific cases from Latin America in which these tools are being used for improving the quality of democracies. Introduction Digital Democracy Our democracies are outdated. In the In his famous book Polyarchy, Robert Dahl second decade of the 21st century, gov- describes democracy as “the continued ernments seem unable to address the responsiveness of the government to the complex challenges the world is facing, preferences of its citizens, considered as and citizens’ trust in public institutions political equals.”1 Today, we have the tech- is at the lowest point in decades. The nological tools to fulfill these premises good news is that the digital revolution more efficiently, to make them more inclu- is providing a window of opportunity for sive and in real time. This phenomenon, bringing politics back to society. The so called Digital Democracy or E-democracy, called “Triple Revolution” (i.e. inter- has emerged in the last years as “the prac- net, smart phones, and social media) can tice of democracy using digital tools and help us move from hierarchical decision- technologies”2 and has the potential of making processes and representative transforming the entire relation between democracies to more inclusive, horizontal, state and society. and participatory mechanisms for dealing with public issues. This transformation could bring govern- ment and society closer,3 allowing citizens Yet, there are still many obstacles to formulate their preferences, signify to overcome such as the digital divide, them, and weigh them equally in a free the domination of techno-elites, or the public contestation realm.4 New software, abuses of the owners of the technology web platforms, and mobile applications are infrastructure. In Latin America, many accelerating and facilitating the processes young activists and governments are using necessary for idea collection, discussion, technology to address some of those chal- decision-making, and voting, as well as lenges, by increasing participation, making media and content creation. This approach governments accountable, or providing sustains that by going digital, democracy new voices to the public arena. can go beyond representation by using, 62 RESEARCH for instance, an online space for delibera- others showed concern with the market tion and voting political proposals such as concentration within the technology sec- DemocracyOS software,5 secure trust by tor, deepening the already wide income using blockchain,6 increase accountability gap with the richest 1 percent owning half of public officials with Chequeado.org,7 or the world’s wealth.14 Harvard professor even profit from collective intelligence to Cass Sunstein believes that as the power of design and execute public policies with an the internet grows, it creates new threats initiative such as GANA PAE.8 to democracy. He emphasizes the role of social media and the power to create echo The benefits that digital democracy chambers driving political fragmentation, is bringing are enormous. Technology polarization, and even extremism.15 The became a powerful weapon to demonstrate so-called filtered bubble created an ideal that complexity was not a wall anymore to environment for fake news, trolls, and other keep citizens out of the decision-making pernicious elements to impact democracy process. Hacktivism and civil disobedience in a negative way. emerged as common elements for social movements around the world, providing While there are not magic tools or solu- governments and institutions the tools and tions to a broader array of problems our solutions to become more transparent and societies and governments have, digital accountable. Digital technologies enabled technologies can be part of the solutions now to communicate in a horizontal way, to achieve more equal, transparent, and with networks that allowed more people to inclusive democracies. Yet, “finding ways participate, becoming “decisive sources of to reincorporate technology into a strong power construction.”9 democratic strategy will depend not on the technologies themselves, which remain pro-democratic in many of their aspects, The Limits of Technology and Politics but on political will.”16 Sadly, reality is showing that we are still far from that utopian vision of digital democracy. Twenty years after publishing A Bright Mirror his famous book Strong Democracy, where Despite all these risks and threats, tech- he over-celebrates the power of new tech- nology can certainly bring more oppor- nologies, Benjamin Barber acknowledges tunities to improve our democracies. that far from solving the most urgent Latin America has both inspired and been problems, technology has, in many cases, inspired by social movements around the “mirrored and reinforced deficits already world. Participatory budgeting in Brazil existent in our democracies.”10 Some years during the 1980s, the network of the Zapa- ago, technologies promised a “new global tista Movement in Mexico, or the Popular agora, a new democratic electronic fron- Assemblies of the Piqueteros in Argentina, tier”11 with new possibilities for direct and shaped new ways of understanding civic deliberative democracy. However, skep- engagement and political disruption. At ticism arose among a number of experts, the same time, the Arab Spring, the Indig- pointing out the problem of the so-called nados in Spain, or the Occupy Wall Street digital divide.12 Robert Putnam worried Movement in recent years became sources about a possible “cyber-apartheid”13 and of activation for the creation of new spaces the increasing exclusion of those without of contestation in the region. Emerging access to internet or technologies, while political expressions such as #NiUnaMenos 63 RESEARCH in Argentina, #Soy123 in Mexico, and more Innovative Experiences recently #JusticiaYa in Guatemala, or MEXICO: “Wikipolítica,” Defying the Idea #Yasunidos in Ecuador, have raised sol- of Representation idarity and actions all around the region. “The walls do fall” was the rallying cry of There is a new generation of democratic Pedro Kumamoto and his group in Jalisco, and digital natives that are using technol- Mexico during the elections of 2015. ogy to strengthen new voices, to foster Inspired by the #YoSoy132 mobilizations civic engagement, to increase account- in 2012, instead of creating a party, they ability, and to propose a new ethics developed a collaborative platform to pro- for politics.17 mote independent candidacies willing to disrupt the traditional party competition In most of the cases, social movements and promote an innovative and participa- implemented an innovative decision-mak- tive new way of representation.20 ing process, using decentralized and horizontal organizational approaches to Wikipolítica emerged in an environment make collective decisions or co-create of distrust and fragmentation of politi- proposals with the help of technology cal institutions in Mexico. According to platforms.18 They promoted spontaneous Latinobarómetro, only 9 percent of Mex- mobilizations, letting it “overflow” their icans trust political parties, and only 18 own movement, creating transnational percent are satisfied with the way democ- movements of solidarity and common racy works in the country.21 But instead of action such as #NiUnaMenos to defend building their narrative in a contentious women against violence or #Yasunidos and belligerent way, Wikipolítica decided to protect the Yasuní Natural Reseve. to become a beacon of hope, promoting Finally, they developed new subjectivities, collaboration, transparency, and inclusion. with reference to the framing of the self Decisions would be made collectively, they and the others in an attempt to denounce would not accept public funding, and local the cooptation of power and abuses by a politics would be a priority. ruling elite.19 Naturally, digital technologies became Social movements and civic insurgence their main ally to amplify their message are paving the way to create a new array and reach a wide number of supporters. of experiences in Latin America that are They defied the whole idea of representa- using digital technologies for improv- tion, putting the citizen again in the center, ing democracy. The following lines will avoiding
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