Episode 7: Matt Mahan and Tom Serres - The Decentralization, Creation, & Distribution of Information

Tech on Politics

Brigade Media has only one goal: to become the world’s largest network of voters. And how exactly does the company plan on doing that? In Episode 7: The Decentralization, Creation, and Distribution of Information, Brigade’s founder and CEO, Matt Mahan, chats to Tom about this singular mission. After the political upheaval of 2016, it’s clear that we still have a lot to learn about social media’s effect on politics. And now companies, such as Brigade, are trying to harness the power of these platforms to help transition causes that start out on the likes of Facebook and Twitter into real action. But there are many challenges to face along the way, from fake news and the huge cultural divide that is now a feature of our current political landscape. Now that content creation and news output have been decentralized, Brigade aims to create meaningful debate about policy and legislation, to tempt the electorate out of their polarizing echo chambers, and help them find news on the issues they care about from the fragmented distribution method of social media. Matt explains how Brigade offers users platform positions to help users feel comfortable expressing their political beliefs. The network also helps people to better understand their political outlook and to compare and contrast their views and beliefs with those around them. And, reassuringly, every pair of users—even though their political outlook may vary significantly—has something in common.