Whilst well intentioned, it comes across as an idea that's born out of a merry pub rant between two uninformed idealists. There are obvious obstacles to implementing such a system, the most obvious being people brazenly voting on legislation they don't understand or haven't bothered to read.
Luke at PlaceAVote explained that "every bill will be a subreddit of sorts and there will be discussion under each one". Essentially a public debate will take place online and summaries of legislation should help voters digest information. It sounds a bit reckless and possibly far-fetched, a criticism often thrown at youthful endeavours, but the most radical ideas are rarely fully formed at inception.
Whilst PlaceAVote wants to disrupt, others are looking to educate. Napster inventor Sean Parker is launching a venture to give US "citizens an easy and social way to take action on the issues they care about". Not much more is known than that, but it seems like he's going down the route of internet activism like Avaaz or Change.org.
In India, Sirish and Kavita Reddi have launched a project called Voxta, which lets those without an internet connection in India dial into a database of recorded political messages and speeches and find out what local and national political candidates are promising. Internet activists, too, like Change.org, Avaaz and SumOfUs are frequently emailing out petitions and running successful campaigns against the world's injustices.
Bitcoin impact
These initiatives are having real-world effects on the state of world affairs whilst simultaneously educating those on issues that may otherwise pass them by. But they're a small beer in comparison to boat-rocking financial startups that are increasingly asserting more influence.
Bitcoin, and cryptocurrencies in general, are perhaps the most obvious disruptors that have managed to force governments to play along or regulate them to hell, like the Chinese administration did at the end of last year when it banned banks from handling any Bitcoin transactions.
Bitcoin stands a real chance of toppling a financial system because it represents a different, more open, attitude to the traditional closed cronyism world of finance. The founder of a Bitcoin ATM in Barcelona gave an interview on a BBC Radio 4 documentary about how he had started this project purely to disrupt and avoid another cog-in-the-machine 9-5. It's that brazen confidence that summarises the very core of the political technology class of 2014 and it has the politicians running scared.
Grim times
Why exactly have young people taken this route of political activism and disruption, rather than participate in the formal political process? What caused this rebellious streak? Is it the increased number of higher educated people? Or have they been forced to think outside the box because the inside of the box is so unflinchingly grim? Duncan Exley, director of the Equality Trust, thinks it's the latter:
"Research shows that people in less equal countries have less interest in politics, and less confidence in their parliament. This is a real problem for the UK given its rising inequality. It's little wonder the young feel particularly disenfranchised as it is they who are the real losers of rising inequality.
"Entry level jobs are now simply dead-end jobs, and youth unemployment remains shockingly high. It's unsurprising that young people are looking at new ways to engage in activism outside of the traditional political process."
The reality is that the combination of inequality, distrust of the political system and a highly skilled and ambitious generation will prove toxic for the establishment. As startups continue to appear in their thousands, so will politically minded ones, and we'll eventually see a radical shift in political thinking and the fundamental way in which the world is governed. This generation won't be remembered for their apathy, but – through technology – their huge contribution to world politics.
