Democracy
The Power in the pocket
World’s economic elites in elections, great Power. How can each Individual as an influence? A Film looking for answers on three continents, and found you on the net.
“Who wants to be in the United States Senator who needs several hundred thousand dollars in the Bank,” says Mark Schmitt, Director of the Department for political reform at the Think Tank New America. “The elites have the money, a campaign to participate, become even smaller,” added Sheila Krumholz, Director of the center for responsible politics. These quotes are from the movie “Power in our Pockets – Social-Media, Money and Politics in the Digital Age”.
The film authors make to the search for solutions to this Problem. For this you travel to Indonesia, Spain and the USA. Behind the Film project, the international organization Idea, which is based in Stockholm. Self-imposed objective is to provide Knowledge for electoral processes worldwide. In the Film, the organization process some of their experiences.
Yves Leterme Secretary – General of Idea
In Bonn, the Europe was held premiere of the 20-minute documentary on this year’s Global Media Forum. “The Film is important because it shows that access to democracy is determined by money,” says Yves Leterme, former Belgian Prime Minister and Secretary-General, published for the European premiere personally. “New digital technologies offer new opportunities, but also pose risks,” said Leterme.
Radical Transparency
The Film is dedicated to however, more the chances. He shows the example of the new Spanish party, Podemos, such as the digital change has allowed the leap from a movement to party. Election campaign funds, in Spain, for the most part, proportional to the last election result by state. Small and new parties, therefore, have hardly chances of success. However, Podemos launched a Crowdfunding campaign and collected at the mostly young voters of money. Also so-called micro-loans enabled the access to campaign funds. In the process, voters of the party to borrow money, which is paid in the case of electoral success.
Demonstration of Podemos supporters
What happens to the money that is understandable for all: “We put on a radical transparency,” said Jorge Moruno of Podemos. Every penny is documented. The strategy had success: In the parliamentary elections in 2015, Podemos was third with about 20 percent of the strongest force.
More control through technology
“People were afraid of Manipulation,” says Indonesian political scientist, Philips Vermonte in relation to the last presidential elections. A month, the election Commission would have needed to count the votes. “The Internet has saved us,” says Vermonte. The Commission had completed the first evaluations of the more than 400,000 polling stations of the country and into the net.” Soon a group was formed in the network. On the website KawalPemilu.org – translates to “guard the elections” – organized young Indonesians and calculated the results. “Technology has changed the Interaction between voters and the Ruling is fundamental,” says one of the film’s protagonists.
Social media is crucial
The election campaign for Obama with phone and Internet
Especially social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and instagram played in election campaigns. As an example, the film authors of Barack Obama’s election campaign 2008 and 2012. A billion dollars have collected Obama in the two campaigns on the Internet, so Joe Respars, head of the digital strategy of Obama. Incentives like “donate and win a dinner with Obama” were as much a part of the success strategy how to design a simple Navigation to a money contribution. “People are willing to donate, but the technology must also make the possible.” Obama’s campaigns are today many candidates in the world as a model.
Impact on the quality of democracy?
Social media allows for a better participation and control of elections. But they also improve the quality of democracy? This is the question the Film poses at the end. Because in social media we were only friends. The Filter what we read, believe and whom we choose at the end of each sets. “The Internet is what we make of it”, is it then also in the last scene in the movie.
Premieres-viewers Sahlim Charles from Kenya
In this direction the questions of the audience were at the European premiere of “Power in our Pockets”. What happens when technology is controlled by dictators? And what can keep the polarization in the social media? Sahlim Charles from Kenya tells of the experiences from his country. “In a certain way, the technology separates us”. So in front of all the people in the country will be excluded without an Internet connection, often from processes in the social networks. Questions on these responses, the Film was not. For this reason, the Idea wanted to deal with in the next studies also reinforced with the negative effects of technology on elections, Seema Shah, observed in the Orgabisation the connection between media and elections.