News Story

Rethinking collective decision-making in the age of social media

Friday 21 Nov 2025

In her inaugural lecture, on Thursday 21 November 2024, Anna De Liddo, Professor of Human-Computer Interaction and Director of Research at the Knowledge Media Institute of The Open University, pointed out that the biggest problems of our time call for collective action. But how do we make sense of complex problems and collectively decide and act as a diverse group or community?

Digital technology has made it easier than ever to communicate across distances. Its use and exploitation in decision making and democratic processes is, however, plagued with challenges and have often led to adverse effects.

Professor De Liddo argued that it doesn’t have to be this way.

Watch a recording of Anna De Liddo’s inaugural lecture