FSCONS 2017 - Petter Joelson - Digidem Lab -- bringing together hackers and activists for social change

We live in a turbulent time, where many countries in Europe face the long term effects of austerity, the rising threat of right wing populism and a lack of or deteriorating trust in political process or impact. But in places like Iceland and Spain this trend has partly been countered thanks to collaboration between social movements and the civic tech community, by creating new forms of direct democratic participation with digital tools. In the workshop we explore successful examples of digital democracy projects and their relevance to our Nordic countries. How can we change the political landscape by a more extensive engagement in new technology for participation and how do we best collaborate between hackers and social movements? Digidem Lab is a new space in Gothenburg, Sweden, where young people come together to develop tech products for participation, as well as promoting and building on existing tools. We work in cooperation with social movements and bring together young activists, developers, designers and anyone who believes another world is possible. We believe new forms of participation need to come from below and spread to all sectors of society.