Technology has enabled isolationism in the world

Populists and nationalists have been using social media to gain a stronghold among established democracies

Asurge of democratisation resulted in the number of electoral democracies increasing from 45 in early seventies to 120 by the late nineties. Since then, increased internet penetration and the advent of social media have further revolutionised means of communication, heightened transparency during information dissemination; thereby creating an ideal environment for a world with an equitable globally participatory democracy.

However, for an unprecedented 11th straight year, Freedom House, an organisation that quantitatively measures rights across the world has found that every region across the world experienced a democratic recession. The past decade has also seen several countries suffering an outright reversal of their democratic gains from the nineties, by reverting back to authoritarian regimes; besides populists and nationalists gaining strongholds among majority of the established democracies.

Ironically, innovative technologies of our times have played a larger than imagined role in the creation of this political landscape. Social media platforms and big data driven personalised messaging campaigns have been, in recent years, effectively used by all the major opposition parties worldwide, many of them relying on strong populist and nationalistic rhetoric, to appeal to this dissatisfied electorate majority, disillusioned with incumbent governments.

These parties however seem more adept in campaigning than in governing, with all of them without exception rapidly losing their popularity post their electoral victories. Many of these governments started considering the weakening or removal of checks, balances, and institutions intended to curb the abuse of their political clout as an easier alternative for retaining power, than meeting the expectation of their electorate, as noted in the Freedom House report.

Their isolationist and sectarian worldviews, revolving around parochial national interests are counterproductive in resolving the major concerns of these times, ranging from trade and security to climate change and sustainability; all requiring transnational co-operation.

The few standing liberal democracies must collaborate to create and propagate policies of market friendly, redistributive economics and social inclusiveness, befitting our disruptive technology driven era, to once again kick-start a cycle of equitable economic growth. They must set an example for the rest of the democratic world to help find a way out of this constrained political cycle.