ANTIDOTE

THE BELGIAN ANTIDOTE

A mobile application as a solution for the Belgian political system.

In today’s fast-paced world, the COVID pandemic has resulted in a period of welcome rest. A period in which consumption and pleasure had to make way for self-reflection and citizen action.

We live in a time in which there are more computers than people. A time in which our daily life is merging more and more with modern technology. A time in which technology has an increasing impact on our social contacts, political decision-making and the built environment.

The failing Belgian political apparatus and its countless regional governments do not seem to use the situation to their advantage. Failing politicians - at all levels - can't seem to get things done. In order to make progress in the field of sustainability, mobility, and many other important domains, a different approach is needed.

For this reason, we have developed a mobile application called ANTIDOTE.

ANTIDOTE is a disruptive online platform created for and by the Belgian citizen. This mobile application should be seen as an act of resistance against the current political climate, taking into account the existing cultural framework and the established freedoms of the digital world.

ANTIDOTE:
- collects proposals from politicians at all governmental levels in a clear and comprehensible way
- highlights current problems by using trending topics
- unites users in teams and gives them collective power over the decision-making level
- allows citizens to respond to politicians' proposals with a like or dislike button
- shows whether or not the politicians are putting into practice the ideas proposed
- enables citizens to take initiatives themselves

Thanks to ANTIDOTE, the Belgian citizen is put in direct contact with the governmental level. This way, politicians are judged on their achievements in individual cases, and not on what they promise every couple of years. As a result, traditional party politics become irrelevant and new alliances are possible at the administrative level.

ANTIDOTE transforms modern technologies (like Facebook, Instagram, Tinder and Tik-Tok) into an instrument of individual and collective power. By providing a platform for Belgian citizens to actively participate in society, ANTIDOTE creates a new sense of unity and belonging.

text - Steven Van Schoor / Ir Architect
image - Filip Van Yperzele