Political scientist Joan Subirats’ reflection starts from a simple but disturbing observation: democracy is increasingly reduced to the act of voting, while the social conditions that truly sustain it are crumbling. In an “accelerated” society, the pace of finance, digital platforms and media cycles is much faster than that of democratic deliberation, fuelling powerlessness, mistrust and abstentionism, which are highly visible throughout Europe. At the same time, the old “we” – made up of shared affiliations, intermediate bodies and common spaces – is weakening, while an individualised “me”, fragmented into bubbles and intermittent connections, is growing stronger.

Starting from the reflections of various contemporary authors, we will discuss the crisis of representation, multilateralism and the growth of populism as symptoms of a democracy without social safety nets, with a broken demos and increasingly concentrated economic power. But the talk will also raise a practical question: where and how can we rebuild experiences of “us” that are not nostalgic? We will look at new forms of mutualism, cooperation, urban practices and local participation as possible spaces for “democratic resonance”, where people can once again feel that their voices matter and that collective action can still transform the world we share.