Western political systems, anchored in representative democracy, will soon change — hopefully towards new models of a more interactive, participatory and direct democracy.
I am not saying this off the top of my head — it is based on what we see when we look at history. When communication technologies change, politics and regimes usually follow suit.
As one of the first digital-native members of the European Parliament, elected thanks to social media, I see this as an historical opportunity. Rather than waiting for this new form of direct democracy to come, European institutions can be part of its construction, actively participating in this paradigm shift.
Over the next six months, Cyprus' presidency of the Council of the European Union should use its mandate to promote best practices for these digital platforms and create stronger ties between citizens and institutions.
This article is part of The Parliament's Guide to the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Democracy is evolving
Cyprus' presidency can take as an example the actions I undertook during my mandate in the European Parliament to encourage the political participation of my constituency.
My most significant contribution was the launch of my app, Agorà, through which Cypriot citizens have been able to directly decide many of my votes in the Parliament.
And should Direct Democracy, the party I recently founded in Cyprus, perform well at the next elections in May, Cypriots would also be able to use it to decide votes in their national parliament.
If a single person mobilised people to vote on EU matters through an app, simply using ID verification, the resources at the disposal of EU institutions and governments would ensure them the concrete chance to create digital environments where European citizens can really influence political decisions.
Back to the future
But why do I think these new communication tools will transform our political system? To answer this, we need to look at history.
The invention of writing in Mesopotamia, about 5,000 years ago, contributed to a shift from earlier, less centralised forms of society, often characterised by participatory practices, to state-level, bureaucratic and hierarchical regimes.
This transformation was facilitated by the development of writing and the storage of information in written records. These technologies tended to be concentrated within elite circles, favouring the accumulation and stabilisation of power in the hands of a few.
From around 3,000BC, monarchic forms gradually prevailed, aside from some isolated — yet relevant — regional exceptions. The most notable example is Athens' experiment with direct democracy, which took place around 2,500 years ago and brought the Greek city-state nearly two centuries of democratic innovation.
Fast-forward to the late 18th century, and the first liberal representative democracies began to emerge — from the United States to the French First Republic — gradually becoming the dominant political paradigm in the West by the mid 20th century.
New means of communication — first the printing press, later radio and television — helped drive such political change. These proved instrumental in two very different ways: building public opinion and offering political leaders an efficient tool to communicate with the masses.
The outcomes varied. Despite their early role in normalising political criticism, mass media ultimately became the most efficient instrument in the hands of 20th-century dictators.
Today, print media, radio and television are considered 'traditional' media. This technological and cultural shift resulted from the rise of a new era of communication: the interactive age of social media.
Why is this revolutionary? Unlike previous forms of communication, social media goes both ways. The sender and the receiver can exchange roles and, more importantly, do so in real time through comments, chats and livestreams.
Furthermore, since everyone can share their ideas freely, governments find it harder to control the narrative, as the discussion about what 'the truth' is has become open to anyone with a smartphone.
The functioning of social media echoes the dynamics of older forms of direct democracy. Digital platforms have the potential to become modern-day Athenian agoras, provided we, politicians, design and regulate them in the spirit of egalitarianism and the mechanics of direct democracy.
Sign up to The Parliament's weekly newsletter
Every Friday our editorial team goes behind the headlines to offer insight and analysis on the key stories driving the EU agenda. Subscribe for free here.