Public lecture by Evgeny Morozov "Internet and Democracy: Enemies or Friends?", April 3

Today's lecture by Evgeny Morozov will be held in Tallinn Folk University, Estonia avenue 5A, 1st floor,
i.e one floor below the Open Estonia Foundation (in the same building).

The public lecture entitled "Internet and Democracy: Enemies or Friends?" starts at 14:00, as previously announced.

The lecture is followed by a discussion moderated by Linnar Viik, lecturer and board member of the Estonian Information Technology College

It is often assumed that a positive relationship exists between the Internet and democratization.
Evgeny Morozov asks if this really is the case.

The discourse of democracy and the Internet has so far been dominated by research in existing democracies where the Internet has been found to have a positive effect on the public sphere. Scholars claim the Internet serves to diversify access to the media, help marginalized people make their voices heard, and increase transparency.

There is also considerable research on the possible impacts of the Internet on authoritarian regimes, which, however, is often driven by a tacit expectation that the new communication networks would primarily be used by democratic oppositions to topple dictators.

Evgeny Morozov argues that there is now a growing body of evidence to counter the traditional claims about the Internet’s benign effects on democratization. He will examine the arguments of both sides to articulate a more sophisticated view of the Internet’s true impact on politics and society.


Evgeny Morozov is a fellow at the Open Society Institute in New York and a board member of the institute’s Information Program. His current research topic is the Internet's impact on global politics, with a particular focus on authoritarian societies. Evgeny is also a frequent commentator on technology and new media for such publications as The Economist, Newsweek, Foreign Policy, Boston Review, The International Herald Tribune, Slate, and others.


The lecture is open for everyone interested. To register, please visit www.oef.org.ee/register

The event is held in English.

Welcome!

For more information please contact:

Kelly Grossthal
Open Estonia Foundation
Tel: 6 313 791
kelly@oef.org.ee

Media inquiries:

Maarja Toots
Open Estonia Foundation
Tel: 6 313 791
maarja@oef.org.ee