Everything used to be better. Think again.

#378

Friend of Democracy,

We (I included) often tend to highlight the disadvantages of digitalisation. That social media makes people more susceptible to manipulation. That it increases populism and the division of society.

On the other hand.

In my hometown of Tauberbischofsheim in Baden-Württemberg, which has a population of 10,000, there has only been a municipal library since 1992 (see photo). Before that, anyone who wanted to acquire knowledge either had to buy books themselves or had to go to the Catholic or Protestant library. Access to knowledge was regulated by money and the Christian churches! Sounds like a distant century. It wasn't that long ago.

Isn't it the greatest blessing (and actually a basic condition of democracy) that in democracies today, everyone can form a well-founded opinion if they want to?

We just have to want to.

See you in Democracy,

Johannes Eber