Can democracy be rebuilt in four days? In this DLD26 talk, Jon Alexander, Co‑Founder and Director of the New Citizenship Project, argues that “the future of democracy” is already emerging – if we are willing to see ourselves not as consumers, but as citizens.
“What I believe is happening in this moment in time is that the consumer story as a whole, that fundamental story, is collapsing”, he says. “And as it collapses, the institutions of that story are falling apart.”
By contrast, in the “citizen story”, the right thing to do is to get involved, “to contribute your ideas and energy and resources to the pursuit of the best outcomes, and critically to reimagine and reinvent our institutions to tap into that collective energy, wisdom, and resource.”
At the heart of Alexander’s talk is a simple dynamic: “To give no trust is to get no trust. Trust is reciprocal.” When institutions begin trusting people, people trust them back.
Watch the video to explore this talk in detail.
