When Democracy Spoke for All

There was a time when democracy belonged to the people—not to wallets or ad budgets, but to voices and ideas.

It was messy. It was passionate. It was imperfect.
But it was ours.

Today, that promise feels further away.

What happens when the voice of a citizen is no longer measured by the strength of their argument but by the size of their wallet? What happens when democracy becomes a game of pay-to-play—when influence is bought, not earned? Well basically what we see all over our world.

The Cost of Being Heard

Here’s the truth:
In the 2024 U.S. elections, political ad spending shattered records—$10 billion spent to buy clicks, impressions, and algorithmic nudges.

And this isn’t just an American story. Between 2020 and 2023, political ad spending on Google / youtube network surged across Europe.

• Germany spent 5.4 million euros on Google platforms.
• Hungary spent 3 million euros.
• The Netherlands followed with 2.6 million euros.

In comparison, top political spenders on Meta in the countries with the most campaign ad spending were more diverse. Three right-wing and far-right parties, like Belgium’s Vlaams Belang, topped the charts alongside Spain, Italy, and Sweden’s socialist and social-democratic parties. 

While digital platforms allow politicians to reach millions, they also create new risks. Low-cost, high-reach ads enable more voices—but at what cost to democracy?

The New Political Battlefield

Digital technologies have completely transformed political campaigning. Social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram and ads across the Google/Youtube network offer politicians massive reach at a fraction of the cost of traditional media.

But there’s a dark side to this transformation.

Big data and micro-targeting have turned political advertising into a tool for emotional manipulation and voter exploitation. Platforms collect personal data—preferences, interests, fears—and hand it over to campaigns. Malicious actors tailor messages to trigger specific emotions, often using disinformation to sway public opinion.

And the cost isn’t just to political debate. It’s to our freedom of opinion, our access to transparent information, and our trust in democracy itself.

Why Transparency Matters

The European Union has taken steps to address this and hopefully change things for the better. In February 2024, the European Parliament adopted new transparency rules for political advertising. These rules aim to:

1. Ensure political ads are clearly labelled.
2. Reveal who sponsored the ad, how much they paid, and why a user was targeted.
3. Ban micro-targeting based on sensitive personal data—such as ethnicity, religion, or sexual orientation.

For the first time, sponsoring ads from outside the EU will also be banned in the three months leading up to elections.

Sandro Gozi, the MEP leading the effort, put it simply:

“Digital technologies make citizens more vulnerable
to disinformation and foreign interference. Now more than ever, it is crucial to safeguard our democratic and electoral processes. The rules adopted today play a pivotal role in helping citizens discern who is behind a political message and make an informed choice when they head to the polls. With the European elections approaching, we urge all major online platforms to start applying the new rules as soon as possible and ensure the digital space remains a safe place to exchange political ideas and opinions”

Transparency is a start—but it doesn’t erase the deeper problem: money still determines who gets heard and this will continue to apply.

The Divide Widens

The U.S. has yet to adopt similar measures, leaving its political advertising landscape wide open to manipulation and exploitation. While the EU attempts to protect voter trust, the U.S. continues to favor unregulated ad spending, allowing disinformation and algorithmic dominance to flourish unchecked.

This imbalance is growing, and with it, the gap between those who can afford to play—and those left behind.

When the Margins Rise

And yet, there’s hope.

In 2020, Stacey Abrams and her grassroots organization Fair Fight Action transformed voter turnout in Georgia. Through community organizing, digital outreach, and relentless advocacy, her team overcame systemic barriers to reach voters who had long been excluded from the political process.

Her success wasn’t powered by the biggest ad budget. It was fueled by purpose and the belief that democracy works best when everyone participates.

This story reminds us: Money matters, but passion and persistence can still punch through.

The Real Cost of Silence

If democracy becomes something you can buy, what happens to those who can’t afford it?

What happens to voters when they can’t trust the information they see?
What happens to elections when money doesn’t just buy ads—it buys influence?

The European Union’s steps toward transparency are progress. But the real question remains:

Who gets heard? Who gets silenced? And what future are we building when the price of political influence keeps rising?

In the end, it is all about what kind of democracy we want

One where the wealthiest voices dominate—or one where every citizen has a seat at the table?

What happens when the algorithms we trust to inform us are rigged to reward dollars/euros etc over discourse?

Democracy isn’t a product. It’s not a brand. It’s a promise. A promise that belongs to all of us—not just those who can afford to buy in.

The question is: Will we fight for that promise?