The New Postnormal

Democracy relies not only on institutions, but also on discourse. Yet, far from fulfilling its promise to deepen and broaden discourse, the internet has narrowed and distorted it, thereby severing the link between expression and emancipation.

As young people demand urgent and radical action to confront climate change, rapid population aging is fueling a growing sense of powerlessness, and even apathy, in many countries. Can these conflicting tendencies be reconciled before it is too late?

The "gig economy" has been gaining steam for years now, raising concerns that workers are being left increasingly insecure and unprotected. But the pandemic has sent this trend – with all its associated risks – into overdrive.

The COVID-19 pandemic has often been portrayed as a seismic shock, which promises to transform the way we think about economic and social well-being. In fact, it is unlikely to spur the shift the world needs toward a politics that accounts for the needs of all, including future generations and other species.

Political decision-making is challenging enough in the best of times. When the facts are uncertain, values are in dispute, stakes are high, and decisions are urgent – as is so often the case today – getting things right is all the more difficult. But post-normal science can help.

In a world of push notifications, targeted advertising, and 24/7 connectivity – a world where virtually every moment is supposed to be productive and profitable – doing nothing can feel both impossible and like a moral failing. In fact, it is essential not only to individual well-being, but also to societal health and economic sustainability.

Neutrality has long been a foundational principle of humanitarian action, with international actors often viewed as the only ones who can provide aid without taking sides. But there is nothing wrong with having a political view and hoping your side will win, and the belief that there is delegitimizes locally led aid at a time when it is desperately needed.

From the European Union to China, authorities are cracking down on large tech companies. But to protect individual digital rights and break the monopoly power that is destroying our societies, much more needs to be done.

The COVID-19 crisis has laid bare systemic inequities that we will have to address if we are going to succeed at building sustainable economies and resilient societies. Could collective intelligence, harnessed through novel participatory methods, be the key to designing the policies countries need?

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted life everywhere, but particularly in cities. The question is whether it can also spur an urban renewal, with cities being transformed into cleaner, safer, more equitable, and more sustainable places to live.

*Yves Daccord, a co-founder of Edgelands Institute and a fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, is a former director general of the International Committee of the Red Cross.