Kosovo’s digital Leviathans threaten a crisis of democracy
Our unchecked online culture is promoting an unhealthy personalization — and presidentialization — of politics.
|17.10.2017
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From the ancient Greeks to the coffee houses of 17th century London, to the so-called “Twitter revolutions,” public debate has been, and is, vital to democracy.
No one should really care what Hashim Thaci’s wife looks like in pictures with Trump and his wife, however, the celebrity culture that we are immersed in demands that this is ‘news.’
Isa Mustafa, Shpend Ahmeti and Albin Kurti are not dissimilar to such cult leaders, while in the recent general election, Kadri Veseli also tried to get in on the act.
Information and ideas entering the public sphere are key in a healthy democracy but not if they are unchecked and ruthlessly promoted on social media.
Dafina Paca
Dafina Paca is a Lecturer at Cardiff University, a final‑year Graduate Entry Medicine student at Swansea University, and an experienced EDI Advisor; her work examines migration, diaspora, memory and belonging through a social‑justice lens. She holds a PhD from Cardiff University and an MRes and BA from Queen Mary University of London. Dafina is committed to recognising and dismantling the systemic and structural inequalities that shape social inclusion, education and healthcare.
DISCLAIMERThe views of the writer do not necessarily reflect the views of Kosovo 2.0.
This story was originally written in English.