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By
Leo Henkels
In an era where digital interactions dominate our daily lives, the question of how these virtual spaces shape our understanding and practice of democracy has become increasingly relevant. A recent article by Nathan Schneider in The Conversation "Why the Future of Democracy Could Depend on Your Group Chats: Is Your Social Media Group a Budding Democracy or Someone's Fiefdom?" has sparked a fascinating discussion about the potential for online communities to serve as incubators for democratic principles. This concept, when viewed through the lens of Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), offers intriguing insights into the future of digital governance and community participation.
Nathan Schneider's article, as discussed by Adam Miller on the JustDAOIt! podcast, draws inspiration from Alexis de Tocqueville's observations of early 19th century America. Tocqueville noted that the success of American democracy was rooted in the proliferation of small, democratic organizations throughout society. As Miller explains:
"Every organization we were part of tended to evolve or devolve into a democracy of some kind. Every club in every high school, every club that families were part of."
These "little democracies" served as training grounds for democratic participation, teaching citizens the skills and values necessary for engaging in larger-scale democratic processes. From garden clubs to community organizations, these small-scale democratic structures were integral to the fabric of American society.
However, as our interactions have increasingly moved online, the democratic nature of these spaces has not necessarily followed suit. Miller points out:
"Interestingly, if you look at our online spaces today, before crypto at least, they don't tend to operate that way. Look at Reddit communities, look at literally every blog, every comment section of every website—either a big company is in charge and gets to decide what you can say and can't say and how you use the space, or a moderator is in charge."
This shift towards more authoritarian structures in digital spaces raises concerns about the erosion of democratic practices and values in our increasingly online world.
This is where Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) enter the picture. DAOs, with their emphasis on community governance and decentralized decision-making, offer a potential solution to the authoritarian tendencies of many digital spaces. As Miller notes:
"This book, actually, having read it, I wish he talked more about DAOs because, to me, it was like, 'Oh wow, he's describing exactly what we're doing and building in the DAO space.'"
DAOs embody many of the principles that Schneider and Tocqueville identify as crucial for fostering democratic participation:
One of the key insights from Schneider's article, as highlighted by Miller, is the importance of practicing democracy in our daily lives. This practice helps build the skills and mindset necessary for effective democratic participation. Miller reflects on his own experiences:
"I, too, participated in non-profits and clubs and was often on the participant member side. Inevitably, I was curious and attracted to volunteering for positions on the board, often as a member representative of an orchestra I played in or helping as part of a coach's association or something along those lines in a sport that I was playing."
These experiences, whether in traditional organizations or DAOs, provide valuable lessons in democratic governance. They teach participants about decision-making processes, the importance of representation, and the challenges of balancing diverse interests within a community.
Just as participation in local clubs and organizations once served as a form of civic education, DAOs can play a similar role in the digital age. Bryan Peters (@BPetes) points out the potential overlap between DAO participants and those with experience in traditional democratic structures:
"I wonder how many people involved in the DAO industry may have a history of student councils, nonprofit boards, and other forms of—like, I don't want to call nonprofits practice, but maybe all the school stuff is practice and real. It'd be interesting to see how much overlap there is between people working in this space and people who have participated in governance throughout their lives."
This observation suggests that DAOs might attract individuals with prior experience in democratic governance while also providing opportunities for those new to such processes to learn and engage.
The discussion between Miller and Peters also touches on the potential for democratic principles to be applied in unexpected digital contexts, such as video game communities. Peters muses:
"That makes me wonder too, if whatever video games I play, if the clans I'm in were forced to be more democratic, would people like that, or would that just turn them off? Would they say, 'I don't want to have to vote'?"
This consideration of democracy in gaming communities highlights the potential for DAOs and democratic principles to be applied across a wide range of digital spaces, from social media groups to online gaming clans.
As our digital lives become increasingly intertwined with our "real-world" experiences, the importance of fostering democratic practices in online spaces grows. Miller draws a parallel between the frustrations of authoritarian governance in video games and larger societal issues:
"Or when the video game developer themselves ends up nerfing something on you, which I believe is why Vitalik was drawn towards creating Ethereum in the first place. These are the types of things where, honestly, simplistic games like meme tokens or more authoritative models, participating in them in the form of play—finite games—can be a lot of fun. They're good exercises for the mind and experiences. But when the stakes start to get higher, when something really matters to you, and losing it all in an authoritative regime, if you've had that experience once in your life, even if it was as silly as a character you invested in a video game and it brought you to tears when it was nerfed, you start to have empathy for, 'Hey, when something starts to matter to me and to others, perhaps this model is not the best model.'"
This insight underscores the potential for DAOs and other democratic digital structures to address real concerns about power, representation, and fairness in online communities.
While the potential for DAOs to democratize digital spaces is significant, there are challenges to consider:
As we look to the future, the potential for DAOs and similar structures to reshape our digital interactions and foster democratic participation is immense. By creating spaces where users can actively participate in governance and decision-making, DAOs offer a path toward more equitable and engaging online communities.
The principles embodied by DAOs - transparency, collective decision-making, and community ownership - align closely with the democratic ideals that Schneider and Tocqueville identified as crucial for a healthy society. As our digital and physical lives continue to merge, the importance of these principles in our online spaces will only grow.
The conversation sparked by Nathan Schneider's article and expanded upon by Adam Miller and Bryan Peters highlights the critical role that digital spaces play in shaping our understanding and practice of democracy. As we navigate an increasingly digital world, the principles and practices embodied by DAOs offer a promising path towards more democratic, participatory online communities.
By fostering environments where users can actively engage in governance and decision-making, DAOs and similar structures have the potential to serve as the "little democracies" of the digital age. They provide opportunities for individuals to practice democratic participation, learn about governance, and actively shape the communities they are part of.
As we move forward, it will be crucial to continue exploring and refining these models of digital democracy. Whether through DAOs, democratically-run online communities, or new forms of digital governance yet to be invented, the goal remains the same: to create online spaces that empower users, foster meaningful participation, and uphold the principles of democracy in our increasingly digital world.
In doing so, we may find that the future of democracy doesn't just depend on our group chats - it may well be shaped by them.
