In an attempt to quantify political debate in one of the world's largest democracies, Twitter India has collaborated with TCS for the iElect app. A combination of big data, social media and mobility is helping to make sense of a discussion which involves more than 800 million voters.

Want to get involved in the general election? In Brazil there's an app for that – in fact, there are three. While one provides detailed information on each candidate, another offers directions to voting centres and explains how districts are divided, and a third gives real-time updates on voting.

Young Brits are politically minded. 70% think social media should be used for social change, and a quarter are highly knowledgable about politics. Yet only 12% would definitely vote in a general election. Why are they so disillusioned? And is engaging via social media the answer?

Less than 20% of Americans trust the government. Gen Y is demanding that authorities are transparent and accountable. Greenhouse, a plugin created by a 16-year-old, aims “to shine light on a social and industrial disease of today: the undue influence of money in our Congress.”