Steven de Waal talks about an important element in his latest book (Amazon 2018): how the same technologies that caused disruption in markets are now also threatening to disrupt democracy, and especially what this means for current politics and politicians and why we need to answer it with a new kind of (public) leadership, Civil Leadership. The main issues he addresses in this interview are: 
• The public opinion is now of and by the public itself
• The Misreading by Political Junkies, who were part of the inner circles of old politics and now also compete with the direct channel and the new public opinion 
• Disruption: Runner-ups who know better how to use the new technological platforms win elections 
• The new medialandscape leads to another strategic arena: Battle for the Eyeballs. This leads to much more theatre, actorship, rhetorics and personality in the public arena. It causes everyday campaigning for public support and attention. It means that all people who used to have, routinely and often only based on their formal position, public attention, like CEO’s, mayors and ministers, now have to compete for attention on the direct channel towards their audience, citizens and voters. 
• The need and claim for more Direct Democracy 
• The best strategic answer is Civil Leadership. It is characterized by three elements: 1. The right attitude, as ‘one-of-us’- citizens, 2. The right purpose and passion about public and societal issues and 3. The rhetorical skills to address the permanent public grandstand and the power of the third channel.  
• What is Think Tank Public Space Foundation? Its main mission being to promote active citizenship and social entrepreneurship.

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Steven de Waal on the (threatening) Disruption of Democracy

Steven P.M. de Waal, PhD