BLOG this, podcast that, YouTube video the other: people are as keen as ever to talk about democracy and public affairs. What’s changed, however, is the way that we do it.

Samuel Jones, a researcher at Demos, the think-tank, says that people are now less likely to bring their discussions into the public realm, preferring instead to talk behind closed doors.

In Talk Us Into It, published by Demos this month, he writes: “There is growing alarm — both in the UK and elsewhere — that we are talking less than we used to. This is a misconception.” He believes that the reality is much more complex: technology lets us talk to people any time, anywhere and about whatever topic grabs our attention. However, this has led to fragmentation that means we talk more to people in our interest groups and less to those who live in our area.

“Although interest in community groups and organisations seems to be dwindling, this is not matched by a decline in our will to be involved in decisionmaking processes that affect the public realm. The issue is that people are not talking about public affairs less — they are engaging less frequently in the means by which their conversation can become public.” He says that we still want to be involved with our communities, but that the structures that allow us to engage with them “no longer reflect the ways in which people are comfortable in having their say”.

The problem is too complex for a single solution. “We need to find a balance between the more individual interests to which we are used and the more societal instincts that people think are necessary, but rarely actually commit to.” The challenge is providing a framework that lets people talk while bringing together different points of view.

www.demos.co.uk

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