If you don’t do politics, politics will do you. And unlike with the Internet, Neutrality is not an option.  

Britain has never been more divided. Politics of the previous years has driven deep schisms between the industrial North and affluent South. Economic and demographic differences between rural and urban populations are amplified by a stark dividing line between young and old. This intergenerational conflict was brought to the surface in the 2017 general election, when young voters flocked to the polls in support of Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn.

Young people are notorious for their voting abstinence
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Politicians write manifestos for those who vote, so they are not designed to speak to the next generation
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Young people are notorious for their voting abstinence, and most of them can’t even vote yet. It’s no secret that in an economy where votes are the strongest currency, politics is usually conducted above their heads. Politicians write manifestos for those who vote, so they are inherently not designed to speak to the next generation. The highest youth voter turnout in 25 years left many scratching their heads and wondering what had triggered this change. Was this the result of Labour’s platform? Did Labour simply have a better social media strategy? What was it that made this election so different?

The last UK election had the highest youth voter turnout in 25 years
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Politics affects every aspect of our life. Are young people involved enough?
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Shout Out UK, a London start-up dedicated to increasing political literacy, has a mission to “provide young people with the tools necessary to engage in politics and a platform to shout out and be heard.” On November 14, they brought both young and old together to to open a channel of communication between generations, and to figure out how politics can be made more inclusive for young people. As in all other aspects of modern life, technology will surely be part of the solution. Will we really still be using paper ballots in 2022?

Our man @MatteoBergamini with @ARoachBridgeman with David Blunkett at the Houses of Parliament pic.twitter.com/9BJUrzobIR

— Shout Out UK (@Shoutout_UK) November 14, 2017

Cat Smith, MP, who herself got elected in her 20s, says that when she looks around in Parliament, she sees that it doesn’t look and feel like the country she lives in. With this assessment, she hit a nerve. The consensus of the young people in the room was that politics needs to change to include them. We have suffered, one said, under tuition fees. We feel disenfranchised, said another. They didn’t merely paint a picture of victimhood, however, but also criticised their own lethargy.

Cat Smith MP says she didn't feel that Parliament reflected the country she lived in
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Several teens raised the issue of lowering the voting age
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Politics affects every aspect of our lives. Are young people involved enough? “We are not,” said one talented young speechmaker. They weren’t just bringing a list of grievances to the table, these young bright minds were also armed with solutions.

Outside Parliament with @ARoachBridgeman doing our intro before interviewing @CatSmithMP before our #parliamentweek event tonight! pic.twitter.com/Sgvcpwg32D

— Shout Out UK (@Shoutout_UK) November 14, 2017

Several teens raised the issue of lowering the voting age to foster inclusion and ultimately force politicians to create policies for them. Others believed simply opening the current political arena to them was not enough, but that a more systemic change is needed. The two-party system wasn’t giving them much choice in the first place, they argued. One way of coping with the politicians we have at hand might be to speak through them. This platform lets you do exactly that.

Technology needs to be part of the solution in increasing political literacy of young people
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One of the credos echoed in the room several times from all sides was that change can never occur top-down. Corbyn ignited something that is simmering on in these representatives of Gen Z. This next generation, having the internet and social media in their arsenal, are ready to utilise these powerful tools that they have at their fingertips and stand up for themselves and what they believe in.

Special thank you to @CatSmithMP for sponsoring our event tonight on #PoliticalLiteracy and giving us a space to be heard! #ParliamentWeek pic.twitter.com/mpk9xGtmqM

— Shout Out UK (@Shoutout_UK) November 14, 2017

While the politicians in the room agreed that technology needed to be part of the solution in increasing political literacy of young people, to me it seemed that they were chasing answers that could already be outdated by the time they were implemented. While the passionate young activist next to me was swiping through his Snapchat stories, the consensus on the panel was that social media (esp. Facebook) should be used to engage with young voters. Had they not read the studies that Gen Z are abandoning Facebook in favour of Snapchat and Instagram, I wondered?

If politicians are to engage young people in politics, they need to do so through the platforms that they use
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Events like these are a great start in opening up a conversation about the future of democracy
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Events like these are a great start, but if politicians are really going to engage young people in politics, they need to do so through the platforms that they actually use, and to convince them that their voice will be heard, and that they can make a difference.

Jana Hanson is Education and FinTech correspondent at Tech Trends. Follow her on Twitter @Dschanai

The post How Tech Can Improve #PoliticalLiteracy appeared first on Tech Trends.

Many moons ago, one of the very first things I did when I moved to London as a fresh-faced 19-year-old from Brazil was to queue up on a rainy afternoon to watch parliament in session. I went on a Wednesday as that is the day when the Prime Minister takes questions and is usually quite busy and entertaining, if you’re into that sort of thing. I, for one, always loved seeing democracy in action, and the sheer pageantry Westminster is hard to beat.

The pageantry of Westminster is hard to beat, and I've always loved seeing democracy in action
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So I was excited to find out that as of this week there will be a 360° virtual tour available of those iconic chambers. Like the White House and Buckingham Palace experiences, it will become part of the Google Maps world and allow visitors around the world to tour places like St. Stephen’s Hall, where suffragettes chained themselves in protest in the early 20^th century, and the Central Lobby where the public is still allowed to directly lobby their MPs. Other rooms include Westminster Hall, Members’ Lobby as well as the House of Commons and House of Lords Chambers.

You can visit St. Stephen's Hall, where suffragettes chained themselves in protest
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St Stephens Hall – UK Parliament – Jessica Taylor

The virtual tour has been developed for Parliament by Aardvark 360 and will also be available on the Parliament website, accessible either via a computer or mobile device. For the full immersive VR experience, however, you’ll of course need to use a VR headset such as a Google Cardboard or Samsung Gear.

Now for the technical low-down: Each individual 360° photo sphere is made up of 13 high-resolution images, taken at a variety of exposures and directions, using a specialist wide-angle lens and panoramic tripod. A technique called High Dynamic Range, merges the images to ensure details in shadows and bright areas are preserved, and they’re then stitched to create a spherical image which allows visitors to see in all directions. Using dedicated software, these spheres are built into an interactive virtual tour, complete with navigation and clickable hotspots. Finally a VR version is added so that visitors with headsets can switch to a split-screen view and experience the tour in immersive virtual reality from the comfort of their home or office.

“Parliament belongs to the people, so it is only right that everybody should get the chance to experience it. The virtual tour means that people from all over Britain and, indeed, all over the world can visit Parliament and learn about our democratic institutions,” said John Bercow, the current Speaker of the House of Commons.

Lord Fowler, Speaker of the House of Lords, added:

“The virtual tour offers users the unique ability to be instantly transported to locations of historical, national and political importance. Through this technology, Parliament is now open to anyone every day of the week and we welcome this opportunity for the public to feel more connected to the House of Lords and experience standing in the Chamber where so much important work takes place.”

The post You Can Now Visit The UK Houses of Parliament in VR appeared first on Tech Trends.