Digital age democracy: March 02, 1998 issue of New Thinking

March 02, 1998 New Thinking:
Digital age democracy

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March 02, 1998

Digital age democracy

By Gerry McGovern

Democracy is something often talked about but rarely practiced, certainly in its ideal form. Freedom is something most of us strongly believe in, particularly when it relates to ourselves. In practice, we tend to define freedom by how we limit it (and that is not necessarily a bad approach).

Politicians are strange animals. Much of their lives are spent understanding us, seeing what makes us tick, seeing what appeals to us. They offer us what they think we want and in return we offer them power to rule and make decisions.

The relationship between the politician and the citizen is an unusual one. In the media and in public forums, citizens often criticize politicians. However, politicians are popular. Crowds come to see them, shake their hands, hear their speeches. Who will rule us if not our politicians? Our lawyers, film stars, techies, priests, big business?

Putting aside for the moment the strong possibility that politicians might well be puppets of big business, it is relatively clear that politicians tend to do politics better than most. The politics that we have come to know, that is.

Politicians in opposition always berate the government for not being freer with information. As soon as these politicians come to power they become just as jealous with their information. In Ireland, we remember being told by one political leader about how he would govern behind a “pane of glass” when in power. He didn’t tell us he was joking.

For the elite of the middle and upper classes, the Internet is a wonderful democratic tool. All of a sudden, information flows like it never did before.

It’s surprising, in the average democracy, the quantity of information that actually is available to you if you seek it out. Traditionally, it was made very difficult to seek out. The Internet changes all that.

There are many who pale at the idea that citizens will have much easier access to information through the Internet. They fret about having to answer questions, about having to inform and interact with the public. They fear the Internet.

For those involved with the Internet, it is almost universally seen as a good thing that the information flows from the political establishment and that the questions and demands return like a floodtide.

I don’t necessarily think it is a good thing. Yes, we need more information from and interaction with our politicians. But hold on. Where are we going to get the time to assimilate all this political information? Isn’t it hard enough for most of us to assimilate our work-related information?

Equally, if politicians are constantly interacting with us, where will they get time to govern? Face facts, most of the demands of voters are selfish: get this grant for my son, fix this road, reduce my taxes. All well and good, all important. However, we also need our politicians to think and plan for the future. We need vision and leadership from them.

All in all, I believe that the new flow of information which the Internet enables is a good thing. Just, let’s not get carried away.

Gerry McGovern

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All in all, I believe that the new flow of information which the Internet enables is a good thing. Just, let’s not get carried away.