In today’s digital society, “fossilized institutions” have to change and a “second wave” of democracy based on a culture of public deliberation and active citizenship is needed. This was the message shared by Trent chancellor Dr. Don Tapscott during the third and final lecture in his Connected Planet Chancellor’s Lecture Series on March 5 in Toronto.

More than 200 people came to the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon (Epic Hall) at the Toronto Reference Library in the heart of the city, to hear Dr. Tapscott speak on “Government and Democracy in the Networked World”. During the lecture, Dr. Tapscott addressed the changing face and relevance of government and democracy in today’s technological world.

“We are on the eve of extraordinary change for our institutions of governments and democracy,” Dr. Tapscott told the crowd.

Author and co-author of 14 widely-read books about information technology in business and society, Dr. Tapscott is one of the world's leading authorities on innovation, media, and the economic and social impact of technology. He has been an advisor to business and government leaders and has introduced ground-breaking concepts that are part of our understanding of a rapidly changing world. In 2013, Thinkers50 ranked him fourth among the world’s most influential management thinkers and awarded him the Global Solutions Award.

Dr. Tapscott’s latest research explores how a new breed of global network, enabled by the Internet and other technologies, offers an alternative to traditional approaches such as the United Nations or national governments as a way of addressing global problems.

Learn more about the Chancellor’s Connected Planet Lecture Series: www.trentu.ca/connectedplanet

Posted on Thursday, March 6, 2014.