Internet and Politics
According to the Committee on Media, Education, science and Culture, in present scenario the internet lies at the heart of a democratic society. It has enabled the citizens in holding the politicians and the government accountable for as never before. It has given them more power and access and it has also increased democratic process participation of the public.
The importance of social media is evident in present condition. It can help in the reconnection of democratic institutions with the citizens in dynamic and new ways. On the other hand for the complex policy-making, the fragmented web-based decision making is not suitable. As the use of internet is significantly increasing and it also increases the access to various information and that leads to several benefits in terms of the democracy.
The use and access of internet in every domain is also expanding at an accelerated rate. But it is also evident that there can be certain limitations of the internet and the increasing. Thus it is a matter of debate whether there is only optimistic nature of internet in improving politics and democracy or there are other negative factors that should be considered as well in estimating the effectiveness of internet.
Theoretical framework:
Here various theoretical background of internet-causing theory of democracy can be given. One such theory is the dictator’s dilemma (Fredman, 2012). According to the theory there is balance between the uses of information communication technology by the authoritarian government for economic development with their need to control the technology influences on democratising. The theory is based on the idea that in the globalised market the governments must keep their borders of communication open.
This can lead to an efficient passage for the flow of democratic and other information. Though this process can provide public with various information accesses but there is also the possibility of exposing the government if they are suspected of any untrustworthy, dishonest, violent or illegitimate activity.
In communications revolutions and international relations, Steele and Stein (2002) argued that in the international affairs the internet can amplify the trends. According to them the internet can amplify the political situation in new heights. Like civil rights and the political liberties can be heightened to another level in a democratic political environment (Jansen, 2004).
The internet, citizen participation and an area of freedom:
The internet has become a significant part of our daily lives. In 2012, a study was conducted in the households of 27 European Union member country households. According to the Eurostat data, 60% of the population had internet access at home and they also used it daily. It was also found that 52% of the people used social networks for posting messages and 61% users read the news online.
It is found that the young people particularly in the age group 16 and 24 use the internet more frequently. In 2010, 80% of the users in this particular age group used internet to provide their opinion and discuss on various topics and sent messages in different social networks, blogs and discussion forums. There has been a change in the content and the forms of communication flow due to the growth of internet.
There have been changes in the data-carrying capacity and there have been implications for the exercise of association, opinion, expression and the freedom of information. This has also affected the participation and political communication and the structure between the political parties and the citizens (Kahn and Kellner, 2005). After globalisation of the internet the political institutions and the researchers has been puzzled regarding the role and impact of internet on politics.
Thus a lively debate has been sparked by the mainstreaming of internet. The researchers and the political analysts have provided various implications of the internet on the political system revolution.
According to some theorists, there is a potential in the internet for democratic process transformation by making the public more aware, involved, participatory and informed about various political processes. Now various arguments can be presented in terms of cyber-optimism and cyber-pessimism (Fredman, 2012).
Advantages of the internet and cyber-optimism:
There are various factors that can be considered while presenting the positive nature of internet on the society and in terms of politics. The social networks have made it possible for the people to freely express their opinions, ideas on any social issue in real time. It is found that the increase in this communication network leads to a shift in the public sphere in terms of the boundaries that existed before.
Internet has increased the power of information and there has been a decentralisation in terms of information sources. Now the public has the power to vote and make a difference by affecting various decision making process. Internet also increases knowledge base of the public.
The changes in the speed, method, content and form of the information exchange has changed the paradigm of communication and a multi-dimensional concept has been formed due to this modern communication technology (Farrell, 2012).
This revolution in the communication technology has also presented major implications on the politics especially in terms of opinion dissemination. A higher profile can be given to the people not only for free expressions but also for mobilising the power. Internet can be used to bring people together and make difference in terms of certain issues.
They can engage in a collective action by cooperation and coordination. It is evident that in present scenario the internet can be used for influencing movements and revolts as well (Durrett, 2005). For example the 15M movement in Spain rose and spread significantly in other European countries on a major scale. The movement was done to demand a change in the policy and with the help of internet the revolt expanded in other countries as well (Wihbey, 2013).
Thus it can be said that internet is increasing the democratic nature of people and that also affects the political parties. Through societal changes due to the social media a direct interaction can be done with every kind of organisation (Klotz, 2003). The political parties are considered as one of the traditional organisations and they are facing rejection due to increased democratic nature of the population due to increased internet access.
But it is evident that such rejection is not only due to the increased usage of internet. There is a far more interlinked and complex nature of democracy and political life and internet can produce positive impacts on the nature of the relationship (Best and Wade, 2009).
Disadvantages of the internet and cyber-pessimism:
There is always a second side of a coin. The arguments presented here have demonstrated the positive nature of internet and web based technology on the democracy and on the politics. Internets have given people the platform to easily provide their opinion, ideas, views and they also have the power to influence the decision making.
But here it can be said that there are certain risks inherent in the democratic participation and the new paradigm of communication. With the new breadth of freedom brought by the internet, there are also certain dangers for the rule of law, democracy and individual freedom as well (Levine, 2002). The risks and ill effects of such freedom can be demonstrated by recent revelations about the exchanges in surveillance on the internet and social networks.
One such issue can be the digital gap in the community. It is evident that in recent years if more emphasis is given to the internet usage and building democracies then there will be exclusion of those communities or individuals who do not have any access to the internet. Thus there will not be aggregated and participation (Assembly.coe.int, 2014).
There are also risks in terms of manipulation and disinformation. When people have the power to publish their views and opinions then there can be issues in terms of the validity, reliability, transparency of the information (Rogers, 2004).
There can be bias in the nature of the information provided in the internet and as a result it can be used to manipulate people. When the real and important information is concealed and wrong information is circulated then that error can have extremely damaging consequences.
Various laws are violated and human rights infringements are done on the internet. Thus internet usage has various risks and disadvantages in that context.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, it can be said that there are different facets of the usage of internet and how it can affect the democracy and the political context of an economy. In this paper various arguments have been presented for and against the internet usage and how it can impact the democracy and the politics.
Here it can be said that internet has brought significant difference in the freedom of communication, freedom of expression and the freedom of information. This has also affected the political parties and their relationship with the public.
It is very important that internet is used as a tool for increasing the democracy in a nation by more involvement and the access to information but it should also be considered that the threats and risks are minimised in terms of the usage of internet.
Minimisation and control of these risks can only lead to a positive and effective improvement in the political and democratic structure of the society.
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