The Biggest Loser on November 5th, 2024, is Democracy, and hence the Voter (2)
November 8, 2024
In 2019, I published an article, The Future of Democracy: The End of Democracy as We Know It, in which I argued that traditional democratic ideals were at risk, a shift driven by globalization, technology, and the increasing influence of corporations over political agendas. Today, my predictions seem increasingly prophetic as we confront a critical moment in the evolution of democracy following the events in the United States on November 5th.
The erosion of democracy is not a sudden event but rather a creeping, systematic shift that has happened over decades. In the United States, a country that prides itself as the bastion of democracy, the recent election underscores the extent to which representative democracy has veered off course. The rise of powerful corporations, lobbying, and media conglomerates has significantly altered the landscape of American politics, reduced the power and voice of individual voters, and shifted influence towards those with the means to sway public opinion.
My research identified a model that illustrates how democracy has gradually ceded to oligarchy, with political and economic power consolidating among the elite. As noted in the paper, democracy has increasingly become a “procedure” rather than an outcome reflecting people's will. In countries that still operate within democratic frameworks, the ideals of Lincoln’s “government of the people, by the people, for the people” feel distant, often replaced by governance that primarily serves corporate and political elites.
The 2024 election is part of a broader global trend I discussed in 2019. Countries like China and Singapore have shown the world that economic success does not require Western-style democracy. As I argued, the dominance of these “successful non-democracies” has led to a rising skepticism regarding the superiority of democracy itself. Many nations now look to models that prioritize stability and economic growth over democratic ideals. In response, Western democracies are under pressure and find themselves compromising, weakening the very foundations of representative democracy to maintain competitive standing.
Media and technology have played central roles in this democratic decline. The fragmentation of public discourse, fueled by polarized media and filtered through algorithm-driven social platforms, has created echo chambers rather than shared realities. In the United States, media corporations heavily influence voter perceptions, often guiding people toward the interests of those in power. In my article, I highlighted how media corporations, aided by the algorithms of social platforms, have transformed from a fourth state that checks power into tools that serve power.
Ultimately, the biggest losers in this dynamic are the voters. Disillusioned and disenfranchised, voters in the United States and worldwide find themselves with diminished power to influence real change. The result is a vicious cycle where political apathy grows as people feel increasingly helpless to impact a system that seems more interested in maintaining the status quo than addressing pressing issues.
The events of November 5th remind us of the urgency of re-examination and re-envisioning democratic systems. While my 2019 article provided a framework for understanding the shifting landscape of democracy, it’s clear that even more drastic changes may be necessary to prevent democracy from becoming merely a ceremonial facade.
Miguel Goede
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