Today’s book review: Public Opinion, by Walter Lippmann

A very important book in its time. And in ours.

Lippmann warned 100 years ago about the dangers of too much democracy. Lippman argued that the American populace (“the bewildered herd”) must not overly influence government policy. Instead of a true democracy, in which the people directly control the country, Lippman advocated for maintaining a protective intermediary of sophisticated elites — in politics, the press and business — lodged between the people and the government. This structure, according to Lippmann, would maintain stability and ensure rational policy making.

A century later, the two elections of Donald Trump lend credence to Lippmann’s thesis. Trump’s primary communication method as president is social media, an unfiltered channel connecting him directly to voters. Trump’s elections and presidencies broadly disempower elite intermediaries — including GOP party elders, liberal business leaders and mainstream media institutions — long accustomed to directly influencing American governance.

As Lippman predicted, it did not go well. Paradoxically, Trump’s Twitter version of direct democracy sharply decreases the strength of democratic self-governance, culminating in Trump’s Twitter-organized mob storming the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021 as Congress certified the presidential election.

This rise in democracy has only intensified in the years since Trump was first elected, as the intermediaries between power and the people continue to disintegrate.

Lippmann would be shuddering.

Again, social media is the preeminent example. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram allow politicians to bypass traditional media gatekeepers and communicate directly with voters. Anyone online can instantaneously publish their thoughts, with each tweet or post potentially reverberating around the globe. This personal empowerment — a revolutionary transformation — has coincided with a rise in populism around the world.

Are these democratic revolutions a good thing? Put another way, is civilization better off with sophisticated elites controlling the framework of society — or is it better having the people, unrestrained, barreling forward with the shackles thrown off?

Striking the right balance between elite influence and popular control is as complex as it is important. Yet it is fast becoming merely an academic subject. The trend line is clear: Lippman’s intermediaries are dying on the vine.

For better or worse, the future belongs to the herd.