Can 18th-Century American Institutions Survive 21st-Century Technology?

Summary

This article examines whether America's 18th-century constitutional design, rooted in Enlightenment ideals of "reflection and choice," can withstand the challenges posed by 21st-century technology. Drawing on Hamilton's Federalist No. 1, the piece argues that the Founders' information environment was conducive to reasoned deliberation, but modern digital platforms, algorithms, and disinformation ecosystems have fundamentally altered the public sphere. The article questions whether institutions built for a slower, print-based information age can survive the speed, fragmentation, and manipulation of today's media landscape.