Hear This From SXSW: Politics Matter
The Forrest Four-Cast: March 20, 2018
The link between politics and tech has never been more consequential — and complicated. While questions linger from the 2016 election, attention is focused on this fall’s mid-term elections and the looming 2020 presidential campaign. SXSW 2018 explored many ways today’s technology is impacting voters. If you missed Arnold Schwarzenegger on the future of politics, a look at hacking and national security, a deep dive into gerrymandering and an informed take on the political climate of Texas (must we forever suffer Ted Cruz?), check out the audio replays below.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Joins POLITICO’s Off Message. Schwarzenegger talked with Politico’s Isaac Dovere about his own principles for effective governing, why he made gerrymandering and other issues his crusades after serving as governor of California, and what he sees for the future of American politics.
Hacking our Democracy and Discourse. Social media has profoundly changed the way we communicate, participate in the political sphere, and consume news. Revelations driven by the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation into Russian interference have also highlighted the implications for national security. In addition to probing America’s voting and registration systems, a core component of Russia’s efforts to interfere in the 2016 election involved sustained and widespread information operations — so-called ‘active measures’ designed to hijack the national conversation, set us against ourselves, and undermine our democracy. Wired news editor Brian Barrett and U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia) discussed Senator Warner’s work, which has prompted a series of high-profile product and policy changes by the nation’s largest tech companies. The continued viability of these activities on social media platforms indicates that much work remains — and raises more immediate concerns about the use of these tools in the upcoming midterm elections.
How Gerrymandering is Reshaping Politics. Every 10 years, states redraw voting districts in order to keep up with a changing population. But the very politicians who will be elected by the maps draw them, meaning there’s strong incentive to create districts that maximize political advantage and, in the process, dilute the will of voters and destroy democracy. This panel of experts discussed how has this gerrymandering affected politics today, and how can we work to stop it in 2020?
God Save Texas: The Lone Star State and America. Texas is a red state in the heart of Trumpland that hasn’t elected a Democrat to a statewide office in more than 20 years — but it is also a state in which minorities already form a majority (including the largest number of Muslim adherents in the United States.) The cities are blue and among the most diverse in the nation. Oil is still king, but Texas now leads California in technology exports. The Texas economic model of low taxes and minimal regulation has produced extraordinary growth but also striking income disparities. In fact, Texas looks a lot like the America that Donald Trump wants to create. In this session, New Yorker writer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright explored how Texas not only reflects our country back as it is, but as it was and as it might be.
Find more podcast content by exploring the SXSW online schedule. When you click on a session and see an audio bar, then you’ve got your listening assignment for the day! Also, we’ve made it easier for you by recapping some of the SXSW highlights. Check out previous roundups of audio content related to Senator Bernie Sanders, The Future of Work, Boosting Benefits and Building Inclusion.
Lock in SXSW 2018 prices by purchasing a badge for SXSW 2019 during our limited pre-sale. Hurry, these discount, pre-sale prices end at 11:59 pm PST on Saturday, March 24.
Hugh Forrest serves as Chief Programming Officer at SXSW, the world’s most unique gathering of creative professionals. He also tries to write at least four paragraphs per day on Medium. These posts often cover tech-related trends; other times they focus on books, pop culture, sports and other current events.
