Designing for Democracy: How to Build Community in Digital Environments

Digital technologies should be designed to support democracy by incorporating boundaries, durability, and flexibility, allowing users to engage in fundamental civic practices. Jennifer Forestal's book "Designing for Democracy" provides a new theory of democratic space and offers concrete suggestions for improving digital platforms to support democratic communities.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 24 March 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

In her book "Designing for Democracy," Jennifer Forestal makes a compelling argument that the democratic potential of digital spaces cannot be fully understood without examining how the built environment, a fundamental component of our modern public square, shapes our activities, attitudes, and supports the relationships and behaviors necessary for democracy. While many scholars and practitioners have recognized the role of design in influencing behavior, they have yet to fully explore the question of what structures are required to support democratic communities and how to build them.

To bridge this gap, Forestal presents a new theory of democratic space. Drawing from a diverse range of disciplines, including architecture, psychology, and political thought, she argues that democratic spaces must be designed with three essential environmental characteristics: boundaries, durability, and flexibility. These characteristics, when combined, enable users to engage in fundamental civic practices and contribute to the democratic life of their communities.

Through detailed analyses of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit, Forestal demonstrates how well these digital platforms meet the criteria for democratic spaces, or whether they fall short in fulfilling these requirements. Her findings provide a nuanced understanding of the democratic communities that form or fail to emerge in these spaces, as well as practical suggestions for improving them.

By connecting the built environment, digital technologies, and democratic theory, "Designing for Democracy" offers valuable blueprints for democracy in the digital age. It emphasizes the importance of designing digital spaces that promote inclusivity, transparency, and accountability, and that enable citizens to participate actively in the democratic process. By doing so, we can ensure that digital technologies support and strengthen democracy rather than undermine it.

Dimension: 235 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197568767