Reference no: EM133131147

Building a Bridge to the 18th Century

In chapter eight, Democracy, Postman argues that democracy is also a narrative, and the meaning has changed over time. Generally speaking, there is agreement today that democracy requires free thought and freedom of speech to function. However, as the dominant means of communication have changed, everything has changed, including political systems ( over the course of history, we have moved from orality to print and now to digital forms of dominant communication). How is democracy changing in the digital age? With social media, we could practice direct democracy, all voting on every issue with our phones, not just from elected leaders ( called representative democracy - the concerns of voters supposedly represented by elected officials). Good idea or not?