Why Democracy Might Be Its Own Worst Enemy: The Fatal Flaw in Our System

Is democracy eating itself alive? 

On this recent WhoWhatWhy podcast I talk with UC Irvine professor Shawn Rosenberg whose research focuses on political psychology, populism, deliberative democracy, and ideology. He reveals why he believes democracy has a fatal flaw: Most citizens lack the cognitive resources to navigate its complexities. 

As the flow of information in the internet age becomes increasingly “egalitarian” — e.g., the rise of social media — this weakness is exposed, making simplistic populist alternatives more appealing and potentially destructive to democracy itself.