Kikkoman

Joi Ito: Activist in Japan frustrated with the political process in Japan and found out that this is problem with democracies worldwide. Wrote it out there

Problem with the Republic method is that you vote and walk off, and the leaders go off and do their own thing.

Emergent Democracy as in order arising from chaos. The printing press changed the nature of the “public”, in the same way won’t the internet do the same thing?

Wilcox: Note that while the printing press revolutionized things it only did it in half of Europe. The Ottoman empire managed to squelch and supress the progress of the printing press very effectively.

Rosen: check this out indymedia
ausion indymedia

Joi Ito: chat room I am not the leader, I am a custodian.

How is emergent democracy resist outside influence to co-op it / usurpt it? Wilcox: Actually networks are more resistant. Take for example the Sierra club, there is radical wing trying to take it over and basically take over its endowment. They aren’t very resistant because they aren’t in active contact with their constituents.

Direct democracy is scary, its the market. Emergent democracy is needs to be a little more mediated.

Ito: In the US the is a functioning democracy so it only makes sense to replace it with something that is markedly better. Interesting stuff is going on in other countries, eg Iran. There are around 100,000 Iranian bloggers and some of them are being thown in jail.

How do you protect the system from the users: Flash back to Wienberger’s talk last year about constitutions.