Brexit votes, Twitter polls, and instant decisions are the opposite of what the Constitution is trying to create.
Show Notes
Founding Father James Madison would be horrified to see how social media has helped unleash populist passions and accelerate public discourse. Madison and other founders created a representative republic rather than a direct democracy, designed to slow down deliberation so that majorities could rule based on reason rather than passion. But Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, says social media technologies have created the very mobs, demagogues, echo chambers, and factions that Madison feared. He speaks with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic about how social media is threatening the America idea.
Explore
Related episodes
What can fix a democracy in crisis?
Madison's legacy matters today more than ever.
What were the ideals of the framers, and what can they teach us about modern American democracy?