Post #1794031

2026-03-16 10:54 UTC

We can appreciate 3 interpretations of #DemocraticTechnology 1) democratisation of access to tech 2) democratic governance of tech 3) e-democracy and civic tech at the @fkinstitute we take the position of 2) - the democratic governance over shared resources, which involve technology, but first and foremost are about commoning: people sharing responsibility, knowledge and productive work, over a shared resource system.

Replies (2)

@Wtebbens@social.coop 2026-03-16 11:01

We could see democratic tech as building on top of several important traditions: the commons & commoning as a thousands year old way of organising, the cooperative social and solidarity economy - with us since the 19th century - and the free/libre open source movement with us for several decades now. Can we combine these traditions in such way that we build up democratic tech, under our collective control? A countermovement against authoritarian tech, to #ResistTechMonopolies which can help us build collective autonomy and resilience.

Open ##1794032
@arod@social.coop 2026-03-16 10:58

@Wtebbens @fkinstitute the answer isn't just having the right idea, though. That has been clear for at least a few years (thanks in large part to your efforts, which are deeply appreciated!) I see so many people who get it and are ready to build (or already building) what you call for but very little higher-order support—training, consultation, incubation, etc. Whose resources will help make the space for these ideas to go from experiments to sustainable initiatives? We can't just bootstrap it.

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