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Governable Spaces: Democratic Design for Online Life
A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit to learn more.
When was the last time you participated in an election for a Facebook group or sat on a jury for a dispute in a subreddit? Platforms nudge users to tolerate nearly all-powerful admins, moderators, and "benevolent dictators for life." In Governable Spaces , Nathan Schneider argues that the internet has been plagued by a phenomenon he calls "implicit feudalism": a bias, both cultural and technical, for building communities as fiefdoms. The consequences of this arrangement matter far beyond online spaces themselves, as feudal defaults train us to give up on our communities' democratic potential, inclining us to be more tolerant of autocratic tech CEOs and authoritarian tendencies among politicians. But online spaces could be sites of a creative, radical, and democratic renaissance. Using media archaeology, political theory, and participant observation, Schneider shows how the internet can learn from governance legacies of the past to become a more democratic medium, responsive and inventive unlike anything that has come before.
When was the last time you participated in an election for a Facebook group or sat on a jury for a dispute in a subreddit? Platforms nudge users to tolerate nearly all-powerful admins, moderators, and "benevolent dictators for life." In Governable Spaces , Nathan Schneider argues that the internet has been plagued by a phenomenon he calls "implicit feudalism": a bias, both cultural and technical, for building communities as fiefdoms. The consequences of this arrangement matter far beyond online spaces themselves, as feudal defaults train us to give up on our communities' democratic potential, inclining us to be more tolerant of autocratic tech CEOs and authoritarian tendencies among politicians. But online spaces could be sites of a creative, radical, and democratic renaissance. Using media archaeology, political theory, and participant observation, Schneider shows how the internet can learn from governance legacies of the past to become a more democratic medium, responsive and inventive unlike anything that has come before.
206 pages, Paperback
Published February 27, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 7, 2024
The first half of the book is gold, second half is getting slightly over my head so just skimmed through it.
The core premise of the book is that democracy is an evolving experiment, and yet society at large is stuck on a form of democracy and institutions that distance the spirit of democracy from the everyday life. Schneider's interest is focused on online communities where increasingly we spend most of our time. And yet, this time we spent online are often on platforms designed with 'implicit feudalism' - where users may have affective voice, but not effective voice. Users might be able to express their critique and discontent, but ultimately cannot affect how platform decisions are governed.
Schneider draws on political and feminist thinkers such as Alexis de Tocqueville and Adrienne Maree Brown to illuminate a version of democracy that is possible. One where the civic associations of everyday life build the skills necessary for political associations. "Democratic muscles need exercise."
This calls for the design of tools to facilitate diverse range of democratic experiments online. Ones that are modular, expressive, portable, and interoperable. Ones that encourage collective governance and accountability.
The spirit of democracy is ultimately about equality. Acknowledging that "not everyone is equally equipped with the free time, knowledge, and incentives to participate"and designing with this in mind is another piece of puzzle that deserves further exploration.
The core premise of the book is that democracy is an evolving experiment, and yet society at large is stuck on a form of democracy and institutions that distance the spirit of democracy from the everyday life. Schneider's interest is focused on online communities where increasingly we spend most of our time. And yet, this time we spent online are often on platforms designed with 'implicit feudalism' - where users may have affective voice, but not effective voice. Users might be able to express their critique and discontent, but ultimately cannot affect how platform decisions are governed.
Schneider draws on political and feminist thinkers such as Alexis de Tocqueville and Adrienne Maree Brown to illuminate a version of democracy that is possible. One where the civic associations of everyday life build the skills necessary for political associations. "Democratic muscles need exercise."
This calls for the design of tools to facilitate diverse range of democratic experiments online. Ones that are modular, expressive, portable, and interoperable. Ones that encourage collective governance and accountability.
The spirit of democracy is ultimately about equality. Acknowledging that "not everyone is equally equipped with the free time, knowledge, and incentives to participate"and designing with this in mind is another piece of puzzle that deserves further exploration.
October 11, 2025
Again another class read. it’s grad school so i’m out here reading and learning!!! i thought the book was mid. his argument of implicit feudalism was solid and his critique of social media usage was very well written. he showed the alternatives and gave some examples of his ideas present in the book in praxis. HOWEVER you can absolutely tell this white man from boulder CO was not in conversation with any of the black thinkers he name dropped in the book. he didn’t use their ideas at all he just dropped them in there and it felt like posturing.
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