Jacob Leibowitz
This thesis attempts to envision a digital democracy formed around affect theory and Lacanian theory. The unique argument put forward in this piece is that, if we are to use digital tools to increase representativeness, equality and justice in democracy, we must use a dual, complementary approach. The first of these will be based on identity, reconciliation, and public action. The second will be anonymous, based on antagonistic alienation of the individual from collectively defined identities, and will attempt to create new coalitions based around the continued failure of policy to be universally beneficial and unilaterally accepted. By creating a new digital public sphere, digital democracy utilizes digital culture as a means for the implementation of the war of position in politics. This digital will, however, must assert its presence within the public sphere through dissent and radical action. This paper is split into three sections. In the first section, “What Could a Radical Democracy Look Like,” I lay out the form and functions that digital democracy could implement as an integrated platform. The second section, “How Would a Digital Democracy Work,” examines how such a platform would function and how it would be integrated into our democracy. Finally, the “Between Theory and Practice” section looks at the complications inherent in the implementation of digital democracy.
