Tang Prize laureate Bruce Ackerman, Sterling Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science, gave a lecture in Taipei entitled “’Sound-bite democracy’ threatens elections.”
Abstract:
The internet is enabling demagogues to win democratic elections through rapid, emotionally charged messaging, posing a growing threat to constitutional government, 2026 Tang Prize laureate Bruce Ackerman said Saturday.
In his laureate lecture in Taipei, Ackerman, Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale Law School, warned against this messaging, which he called “sound-bite democracy,” and argued that democracies needed institutions that give voters time to think before casting their ballots.
“The Internet has revolutionized the real-world operation of democracy in ways that threaten its utter destruction,” he said.