Democracy and its underlying processes have changed remarkably little over the past two centuries.

While technology has transformed almost every aspect of modern life, democratic participation still largely revolves around electing representatives every few years and leaving them to make decisions on our behalf.

We now have the technology to bring democracy into the information age.

Open democracy offers an opportunity to transform how people participate in public life, how issues are brought to public attention and how independent journalism is funded.

Empowering People

In representative democracies, the role of citizens remains relatively passive. We elect representatives who make decisions on our behalf, often with limited direct consultation between elections.

Technology now gives people an opportunity to play a more active role in helping shape the policies and decisions that affect their lives.

This is one of the most important ways to restore human values as the guiding principles of civil society, while making governments, institutions and powerful lobby groups more accountable to the people.

PByT makes this possible by enabling Personal and Premium Members to provide feedback on important public issues, questions and policy proposals.

Unlike conventional opinion polls, PByT is designed to collect feedback that is verifiable and analysable, creating an expanding body of evidence about what people think, believe and value.

As participation grows, these results have the potential to become increasingly newsworthy, complementing traditional opinion polls and providing a new source of information for journalists, policymakers and the public.

This creates a powerful cycle: greater participation produces more meaningful evidence, attracting greater public interest and encouraging even more people to participate.

Importantly, open democracy does not replace representative democracy. It strengthens it by creating a continuous connection between elected representatives and the people they serve.

The ultimate goal is to ensure that human values and principles become central considerations in public policy and government decision-making.

Democratising the Public Agenda

Who decides what matters?

Controlling the narrative and setting the public agenda are among the most powerful ways influence is exercised in modern society.

At present, much of this influence rests with governments, political parties, major institutions, established media organisations and powerful lobby groups.

They have considerable influence over which issues receive attention, whose voices are heard and how public debate is framed.

But who determines what matters to ordinary people?

Technology now makes it possible to democratise the process of setting the public agenda.

Rather than waiting for governments, politicians or the media to decide which issues deserve attention, people can raise questions, initiate discussions and invite others to participate.

PByT Premium Members can publish their own content, identify emerging issues, challenge prevailing assumptions and gather verifiable public feedback.

This creates opportunities for individuals, community groups, independent researchers and citizen journalists to bring important issues to public attention.

The more people participate, the greater the potential influence of their collective voice.

Open democracy is not about replacing one powerful group with another. It is about creating a more transparent and accountable process in which the strength of an argument and the evidence supporting it matter more than the power or influence of those promoting it.

Funding Independent Journalism

Who pays for the news?

One of the most difficult challenges confronting modern journalism is finding a sustainable funding model.

Traditional journalism has depended heavily on advertising, subscriptions and, in some cases, government or philanthropic support.

Each funding model creates its own pressures and potential conflicts of interest.

Advertisers can influence commercial priorities. Subscription models may encourage publishers to concentrate on particular audiences. Government and institutional funding can raise questions about editorial independence.

Meanwhile, the growth of digital platforms has increasingly rewarded attention, clicks and engagement rather than the quality or public value of information.

The question is whether we can create a funding model that rewards journalism for encouraging meaningful public participation.

PByT offers a different approach.

Through the PByT Revenue Sharing Program, Premium Members can earn recurring income by publishing content that encourages people to participate in public discussion.

This creates a potential new funding model for independent journalists, citizen journalists, researchers, commentators and community advocates.

Instead of relying solely on advertisers, sponsors or subscriptions, authors can develop an ongoing income stream by attracting new participants to the democratic process.

The objective is to reward the expansion of public participation — not particular opinions, political positions or sensational headlines.

Rather than simply monetising people's attention, PByT aims to reward those who help turn public attention into meaningful participation.

Towards a Human-Centred Democracy

Democracy is more than the right to vote every few years. It is also about the ongoing responsibility of citizens to participate in shaping the society in which they live.

For too long, the ability to influence public policy and the public agenda has been disproportionately concentrated among those with political, institutional or economic power.

Modern technology offers an opportunity to change that.

By combining open participation, verifiable public feedback and a new funding model for independent journalism, PByT aims to give people a greater voice in the decisions that shape their future.

This is also an important part of the Yes, We Signed! campaign — restoring human values such as honesty, responsibility, respect, compassion and voluntary cooperation to the core of civil society.

The goal is not simply to make democracy more accessible. It is to make democracy more accountable, more participatory and more human-centred.

Open Democracy. Powered by Trust.

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