Demologue: Digital Democracy for the Developing World

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In 2004 Mary Joyce received a Fulbright grant to study constituent engagement and democratization in Morocco. While working at the National Democratic Institute in Rabat and carrying out her Fulbright research she met many Moroccan political activists and became inspired by their work. At the end of her Fulbright year she decided she wanted to stay in Morocco to support the work of these activists, but she wasn't sure how she could be of use.

Over the summer of 2004 she decided to create a website, www.Demologue.com, dedicated to supporting grassroots demcoracy activists around the world. Although the website began as a platform for other activities, Mary became more and more interested in how digital technology itself could be used to increase the political power of the poor. She noticed that in Morocco cyber cafes were widespread and internet use was high even among poor urban youth. Today, a person who wants to voice an opinion or build a network on a global scale need only sign up for a free blog and spend a few dollars a week to visit a cyber cafe. The possibility of the internet and digital tools to act as a base for sustainable democratization is only beginning to be realized.

Gradually Mary shifted the focus of her work. Using the internet and digital tools to help citizens organize and influence their governments became not only the means but also the message of Demologue.com. Today the site's slogan is "digital democracy for the developing world." The site is overseeing or collaborating on several digital democracy projects, including a Moroccan citizen journalism website, a guide to election blogging, and DemoBlog, blog of digital democracy around the world. Sustainability is key to the promulgation of each project. Each project must be reproduceable by local actors, which means that the cost of each project must be very low (the cost of all three projects listed above: $0). A worldwide reach at an accessible price, this digital democracy's promise for the developing world.

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2006-04-24

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