Hue and Cry
While developing a voting system for our startup, my co-founder Kaden and I began to question the nature of workplace democracy. Should we stick to straightforward yes/no votes, or could we implement more complex systems like ranked choice voting? The idea of calculating majorities from so many options felt daunting. Then, during one of my classes, ‘Politics of Code’, taught by Professor Joerge Blumtritt, I discovered the concept of liquid democracy. This model provided the flexibility and depth we needed, blending direct and representative democracy in a way that perfectly fit our vision for an inclusive and dynamic workplace. This inspiration led me to create a p5.js sketch of ‘Perlin Noise’ that visually represents my understanding of the concept of liquid democracy.
My understanding of liquid democracy reveals it as a sophisticated and fluid form of governance, where power gracefully oscillates between direct and representative democracy. In this system, individuals enjoy the liberty to vote on issues directly or entrust their voting power to esteemed representatives who can cast votes on their behalf. This approach marries the virtues of both worlds, crafting a more personalized and responsive democratic experience. The influence of one’s vote can be as direct or as delegated as desired, creating a dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of collective decision-making.
At the same time, I was taking a course called Mixed Constitutions, which allowed me to draw inspiration from ancient philosophers like Plato, Machiavelli, and Foucault. This dual focus deepened my understanding and helped me develop our idea. Plato’s concept of the 'Noble Lie' from 'The Republic' explores how rulers might need to disseminate false information for societal stability, raising important ethical questions about state-controlled information and transparency. Machiavelli, in 'The Prince,' offers strategies of governance and control that remain relevant to discussions about power dynamics and political strategy. His pragmatic, often viewed as manipulative, approach to ruling provides a counterpoint to idealistic visions of democracy. Foucault’s work, particularly 'Discipline and Punish,' delves into the mechanisms of societal control through discipline and punishment. His analysis of power structures and the ways societies enforce norms and regulations informs our understanding of modern governance and surveillance.
Hence, after some heavy planning and deliberation…
I came with my sketch, ‘Hue and Cry’ - A Dynamic, flexible representation of voting is simulated through user interaction. Ranked choice voting involves decision-making by ranking preferences, with RGB sliders representing different societal concerns.
Here is the link to the sketch for you to interact with.
https://editor.p5js.org/AnshulaSaha/sketches/5YFZ7FWpm
I created a project where user input generates art through three sliders controlling RGB values, representing different societal concerns. This simulates liquid democracy and ranked choice voting, converting votes into Hex color codes for a Perlin noise sketch. If no interaction occurs, the sketch defaults to greyscale, emphasizing the importance of participation. The sliders allow users to rank their choices, creating a dynamic and personalized visual representation of their preferences.
If you check out the link to the sketch above, you can see in the code, I am using the storeData function from the p5.js library to locally store the values of the sketch. This means that unless I clear the cache memory and browser history, the data I input will remain intact on my device, as it uses less than 5MB of storage.
Initially, I wanted to save this data—including the user ID and the values they input—in a hashmap database using Firebase, for future retrieval. Unfortunately, I haven't accomplished that yet. However, playing around with local storage has allowed me to explore the idea of deliberation of votes. For example, I can physically hand my computer over to someone else to input their values, emphasizing the personal and tangible aspect of voting in this interactive art piece.
My project incorporates the Black Box concept and Lambda Architecture. The Black Box concept simplifies user interaction with a straightforward RGB slider interface, while complex data processing occurs behind the scenes. This abstraction maintains data integrity and security. The Lambda Architecture enables both batch and real-time data processing, ensuring scalable and comprehensive data management. Real-time processing updates the Perlin noise sketch based on immediate user inputs, while batch processing analyzes long-term trends in user interactions.
Throughout the project, I encountered numerous challenges. My primary sources of inspiration were Dan Schiffman's esteemed YouTube channel, The Coding Train, and the insightful Barney Codes channel. Dan Schiffman, an Interactive Media Arts Professor at NYU, provided invaluable guidance on local storage through his content. One significant hurdle was generating three distinct colors using a single set of RGB values for the bands in the sketch. To address this, I devised sophisticated functions to convert RGB values into Hex color codes, enhancing the visual appeal and functionality of the project.
In my interactive sketch, user interactions—or the lack thereof—can be seen as a metaphor for surveillance and control. When users engage with the RGB sliders, they actively participate in the democratic process, influencing the final outcome of the Perlin noise sketch. However, if they choose not to interact, the sketch defaults to greyscale, visually representing the absence of participation. This non-participation can be viewed as a form of passive punishment, highlighting the consequences of opting out of the voting process. It reflects the broader societal issue of surveillance, where choices are monitored, and non-compliance can lead to negative outcomes.
This project differentiates between knowledge—having the right information—and wisdom—making informed and ethical decisions. The RGB sliders symbolize different facets of societal concerns, allowing users to rank their preferences. This ranking process simulates a meritocratic system where the collective knowledge and wisdom of the participants determine the final visual outcome. By doing so, the project underscores the importance of informed decision-making and the value of each participant's input in a democratic society.
These themes are not only central to my project but also echo the philosophical insights of thinkers like Foucault, who examined the mechanisms of control and discipline in society, and Plato, who discussed the role of knowledge and wisdom in governance.
In conclusion, while working on this project, several thought-provoking questions emerged, for which I still seek concrete answers. According to anacyclosis, could liquid democracy potentially evolve into a form of monarchy? While liquid democracy offers flexibility and inclusivity, there is a potential risk of power concentration in the hands of a few trusted representatives through the deliberation of votes, potentially creating a new form of monarchy. This raises concerns about the long-term sustainability and fairness of such a system.
Additionally, the notion that "any propagation is propaganda" presents a critical issue in public policy and information dissemination. This idea implies that all public policies, regardless of intent, possess an element of propaganda, prompting us to question the transparency and honesty of information shared by those in power. The challenge lies in ensuring that public policies are communicated truthfully and effectively without manipulating public opinion. These reflections highlight the complexities and ethical considerations inherent in developing and implementing innovative systems.
I warmly invite you to share your thoughts and insights.
