The Big Idea
Twentieth-century institutions relied on an information monopoly and the illusion of expert infallibility to maintain authority. The internet unleashed a data tsunami that exposed institutional failures, stripping elites of legitimacy. However, the resulting networked public sphere operates primarily through negation and outrage rather than organized leadership or coherent programs. This structural clash between flat digital networks and hierarchical industrial elites threatens democratic stability with paralysis and nihilism.
