[2024 Democracy Lab Conference] Open Net Co-Hosts and Participates in the Session: “Democracy in the Platform Era: Challenges and Aspirations”

• Date and Time: Friday, November 22, 2024, 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
• Venue: Roh Moo-Hyun Civic Center, Damoyeo Lecture Hall
• Moderator: Kyoungmi Oh, Researcher at Open Net
• Panelists:
  • Jeonghwan Lee, Publisher at Slow News
  • Ohyeon Kweon, Director of Social Cooperative Pati
  • Byoungil Oh, Director of Korean Progressive Network Jinbonet
  • Kyoungmi Oh, Researcher at Open Net

The global influence of major platforms, such as Google, Meta, and Apple, continues to expand. In South Korea, so-called “local” platforms like Naver and Kakao still exert significant power. These platforms have become essential for searching for information, communicating, and conducting business. As such, these tech giants impact 21st-century democracy positively and negatively.

Since the dawn of the internet age, platforms have evolved into powerful intermediaries in our daily lives. One of the first areas they transformed was the way we shop and consume news. The shift in news consumption patterns has had profound effects, reshaping the media landscape. While this shift enabled the creation of new public spheres led by younger, tech-savvy generations, it also amplified their influence in politics. At the same time, as news consumption through platforms becomes more common, traditional media such as newspapers and broadcasting are losing advertising revenue and closing their doors, especially local media. This has led to a crisis in journalism, which, in turn, threatens democracy itself. Additionally, efforts by political forces to regulate platforms that influence public opinion have at times undermined democratic values, raising critical issues for discussion.

The panelists in this session were active participants in dreaming of advancements in democracy when the platform era began. This session aims to explore the challenges they faced and the aspirations they pursued in their respective roles. It will also reflect on the changes over the past decade and how those experiences led to new challenges and strategies. through these discussions, we hope to envision a better platform ear for the future.

Korean version text