Are Posts and Tweets the Greatest Threats to Democracy?

America’s Founders didn’t envision activist groups mobilizing on social media and disinformation spreading across the internet. Thanks to the web, new threats to democracy — like the January 6th attack on the US Capitol — have emerged. Following a similar deadly march in 1787, the Founders questioned the strength of the democracy they built. Shays’s Rebellion led to more support among the Founders for a stronger national government. But the protective barriers they thought would safeguard democracy are being tested in an online era. Nate Persily, professor of law at Stanford, talks with Jeffrey Rosen, president of the National Constitution Center, about why passion may be eclipsing reason and how the internet may be to blame.Additional Resources A More Perfect Union: Jeffrey Rosen and Ali Velshi on the Founders and the Mob Mobs in America's Past and Present The Internet's Challenge to Democracy: Framing the Problem and Assessing Reforms Social Media and Democracy The Storming of the Capitol and the Future of Free Speech Online The Election Reform Agenda: A Deep Dive into H.R.1 As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the Aspen Institute is nonpartisan and does not endorse, support, or oppose political candidates or parties. Further, the views and opinions of our guests and speakers do not necessarily reflect those of the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

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