2. Forms of Teledemocracy
3. How does the Teledemocracy work?
4. Teledemocracy and goverment
5. Experiments in Teledemocracy
6. Examples of Electronic Democracy
7. The Future
8. Conclusion
9. References
Introduction
This document provides the problems and concepts of teledemocracy. Further detailed information can be obtained from the references listed at the end of this document.
"It is proclaimed that we are in the age of the 'Information Revolution', which is changing the way we work as surely as the Industrial Revolution transformed the working lives of people in the 18th and 19th centuries. Prior to the Industrial Revolution, people mostly lived and worked in villages. The shift of work to the factories meant that workers had to leave the countryside to live in the towns and villages near the factories. Following this Information Revolution, the majority of people will work with information rather than physical objects. With modern communications, people are no longer forced to travel each day into city offices and factories. Work can be carried to wherever the people are - wherever they want to work. Most large towns and cities now suffer from traffic congestion which gives rise to high concentrations of atmospheric pollutants. This problem is expected to increase as the number of cars on our roads is predicted to rise considerably over the forth coming years. Each working day, in Europe and America, we move a mass, the equivalent of a third of Mount Everest, an average distance of 7 miles in the morning and 7 miles in the evening."[4]
The teleworking system can solve this problems, but the new very important problem is appear - how to protect the own information at the teleworking systems and how to give the nessesary permissions to the individual or the group of people, who really might to need it and work with it?
The Teledemocracy allows to solve this problem.
What does the term democracy means in general?
"Democracy is a literally, rule by the people (from the Greek demos, "people," and kratos, "rule"). The term has three basic senses in contemporary usage:
- a form of government in which the right to make political decisions is exercised directly by the whole body of citizens, acting under procedures of majority rule, usually known as direct democracy;
- a form of government in which the citizens exercise the same right not in person but through representatives chosen by and responsible to them, known as representative democracy; and
- a form of government, usually a representative democracy, in which the powers of the majority are exercised within a framework of constitutional restraints designed to guarantee all citizens the enjoyment of certain individual or collective rights, such as freedom of speech and religion, known as liberal, or constitutional, democracy."[7]
1. Why the Question of Teledemocracy arises?
1.1 Increasing citizens participation in Information Revolution
"The advanced telecommunications networks being built today could support increased civic participation--or they could encourage sound bites and demagoguery. They could support the electronic equivalent of public spaces, where people come together as informed citizens--or they could provide only electronic malls, where people are targeted as spectators and consumers. At stake here are the workings of democracy."[6]"Traditionally, citizens gleaned political information from a variety of sources--newspapers, television, radio, neighbors--deliberated about issues and candidates with friends and family, and finally voted at the neighborhood polling station. Today, all this can be accomplished from one's home at a single sitting, providing enormous opportunities for the fulfillment or negation of democracy's promise."[6]
1.2 Making the source of information cheaper and easily access
"Faster, cheaper, more diverse, and more interactive communications have shown great potential to increase citizen participation in the democratic process. Electronic mail allows constituents instant and direct communication with their online elected representatives. Scores of communities have created "civic networks"--local computer networks designed to promote civic participation by offering local information and communication at little or no cost.Many federal agencies, as well as a growing number of congressional offices, are online, offering government information and new mechanisms for registering citizen opinion to anyone connected to either the Internet or one of the many commercial computer networks." [6]
"People can tap into sources of information useful for informed participation in democratic processes--to see how a piece of proposed legislation is proceeding or how an officeholder has voted. They can communicate simultaneously with fellow constituents on matters of importance to the community. And they can see how advocacy groups elsewhere have effectively influenced local decisionmaking." [6]
1.3 Increasing the civic participation
"The new telecommunications technologies that make up the emerging National Information Infrastructure (NII) could thus do much to extend the reach of participatory democracy. They could:
- Deepen people's understanding of policy issues.
- Broaden participation in deliberations on political issues.
- Increase the accountability of officeholders.
- Enable more effective advocacy by individuals and groups.
- Register opinions by allowing electronic voting.
- Increase citizen interest in other community activities, thus tightening communal ties and increasing participation in community governance.
Some of this is already happening. Widespread use of video conferencing, 1-800 numbers, online candidate information, and other novel services in the 1994 congressional campaigns showed how telecommunications can change the conduct of electoral politics. Call-in shows, computer conferencing, and e-mail give voters new means of access to public officials, political candidates, and commentators.
State and local versions of C-SPAN provide millions of cable households a daily window on state and local politics. As public access to these technologies expands, so, too, will their uses." [6]
2. Forms of Teledemocracy
2.1 Public space and public access
"As commercial, political, academic and social services are increasingly provided via information networks, public access to appropriate technologies will become a criteria for maintaining even a minimum standard of living. In planning the next generation of communication systems, obstacles to universal access to technology must be understood to avoid widening the existing economic inequities between the wealthy, information rich and the world's poor populations.There is three such barriers: economic (lack of communications infrastructure), technical (computers systems support very few languages), and political (inadequate training in uses of technology). Though technological progress and innovation can eliminate many of these obstacles universal participation in the information age will still be limited by social and cultural factors--particularly the pervading opinion in poorer communities that technology and its uses exist only for the elite.
The democratic process works when a consensus is reached following discussion and reflection. Traditional town meetings provide not only an opportunity for people to voice their own opinions, but also to hear and hopefully appreciate the opposing views and rationale of their fellow citizens.
Logging a vote by telephone or checking a box on a Mosaic form from the privacy of one's own home is quite different from making an informed judgment based on a thorough discussion of the issues. This interactive quality must be built into any public information system.
Community bulletin boards, e-mail amicable to public dialog and if owned and operated by residents, these networks can forward representative democracy. Though the virtue of e-mail for presenting ideas far outweighs its usefulness for gathering consensus, elected officials will benefit from reading the why behind the "yes" or "no" vote. Electronic working groups can also help citizens, traditionally absent from civic debate, find their collective voice.
It is crucial, however, that all citizens have the freedom and levels of technical access necessary to form interest groups on the public network. As in the physical world, the people's right to peaceably assemble must be maintained in the public spaces of cyberspace.
Providing equal access to these emerging electronic forums will require local funding for both public computer centers and education. If cyberspace is to become an important mechanism for public debate, all citizens must be able to participate on an equal basis. However, unlike town meetings of the past, the entrance cost to the computer mediated meeting will be prohibitively high for many.
The present debate over teledemocracy is lagging behind in technological awareness. Most forms of teledemocracy discussed really just imagine a touch-tone governmental system. The present idea of teledemocracy is remarkably unidirectional."[3]
2.2 Group of Teledemocracy applications
"The advantages to governments, businesses and associations are clear. Teledemocracy provides a secure, efficient and cost-effective way to access the votes and opinions of any group of people on any topic or issue.- Instant results
- Increase participation
- Lower cost per response
- Reduce data entry
- Environmentally-friendly
- Position your organization as innovative
There is a core group of applications--Televoting, Telesurveying, Telereward."[2]
We will discuss them in the next chapter.
2.3 Touch-tone voting
Teledemocracy would consist of a television program followed by a dial-in opinion poll. However, this type of teledemocracy is geared towards the mass media.Teledemocracy would simply be a vote. There would not be the dialogue which exists in present forms of government. The mass media has been concerned about content while humans are worried about relations.The mass media does not seek to involve the public. They simply provide a one-way avenue of information. The information distributed is determined by a certain number of organizations. These organizations are insulated from the public by the mass media. Teledemocracy which is geared towards the mass media would not be about the issues, it would be about who can put on the best performance.
A better version of teledemocracy would extend beyond simple touch-tone voting. It would promote active dialogue between individuals. The present telephone system is a rather dry form of communication. Trying to promote a dialogue between any more than two or three people at a time is confusing and ultimately futile.
The only means of identification is voice and human's auditory sense is one of the least developed senses. Humans are visual creatures, they react to visual stimulation much more than auditory stimulation.
2.4 Video conferencing and Internet communucation
Thus, a better alternative to teledemocracy via telephone would incorporate video conferencing or Internet communication. These types of communication involve the visual sense and better allow active dialogue on an issue to occur.The Internet is a real threat to the mass media. The Internet allows individuals to choose and to obtain information to whatever extent they desire. The mass media prefers to spoon feed the public the information it chooses is best. The mass media is driven by money interests. Much of the problem with present state initiative programs is that the activists cannot outspend the special interests which oppose a certain initiative.
The mass media is supported by special interests. Just look at the number of car, gasoline, smoking, or product commercials as compared to activist commercials such as those for environmental groups. With the Internet, the special interests cannot bombard the public with information. The decision about information is left to the individual. They are not forced to watch a certain stream of information. They can choose on their own which issues to explore.
A large problem (raised by the mass media interestingly enough) with the Internet is its appeal to the public. While the media has focused on the negative side of the information highway, such as cyberporn and computer hackers, they have ignored the positive aspects of the Internet. The most important aspect of the Internet is relations.
It actively promotes the friction-free exchange of information between individuals. Additionally, the Internet promotes free expression more than any other medium. Freedom of speech in our personal lives has not truly existed. In public groups, one is more likely to follow popular opinion. However, on the Internet a certain anonymity exists which allows individuals to express their opinions.
The Internet, which brings together people who are miles apart, is a safe haven because people know they won't ever meet each other face-to-face. The Internet has already been proven to work on a small scale as a form of information dissemination. Small movements among college students have been known to spread quickly and with much dialogue between individuals. The technology for teledemocracy via the Internet already exists.
Additionally, the technology is quite scaleable and can be used by most people. The problem that exists is the money needed to supply every citizen with access to a computer. However, if enough interest is developed computers could be readily available to the public. Simple supply and demand could solve the problem of availability. But obviously, teledemocracy is not an immediately available form of political participation.
3. How does the Teledemocracy work?
"MT&T Technologies Inc. is the world leader in Teledemocracy solutions - an exciting new telecommunications application where every touch tone telephone in theworld can now be utilized as a polling booth or electronic research station."[2]
They "provide tailored solutions to meet all your business challenges:
- Elections
- Polling of opinions or attitudes
- Surveying
- Customer Feedback
- Interactive promotions
- Fund raising
It's as simple as placing a telephone call! Voters simple pick up their telephone, call the telephone number, enter their Personal Identification Number (PIN) and cast their ballots following the simple voting procedure.
You have the choice to use Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) ensuring each participant can cast their vote or opinion once. PINs can be randomly generated by the system, or they can be based on an existing identification number, i.e., health care numbers or employee numbers.
PINs are disabled after the vote is cast. Hence "one person, one vote". If anonymity is a requirement, at no time are PINs linked to votes - so there is not way to trace responses to a participant."[2]
3.1 Televoting
"With Televoting, universal suffrage becomes a reality. All potential voters receive a Personal Identification Number to enabling them to cast their ballot once. Televoting eliminates traditional obstacles that routinely keep voters from exercising their right to participate: schedules, income levels, geographic dispersion and physical challenges.
Electronically tabulated results are available within minutes of the polls closing and there are no recounts, even on a close ballot."[2]
3.2 Telesurveying
"You need the answer to a business problem in short order. Marketing considerations, customer satisfaction levels, attitudes and opinions are important. Getting them on timeis even more important. You need to collect accurate, quality information in a cost-effective manner.
- survey everyone, not just a sample
- ask multiple questions
- faster results than traditional methods
- cost competitive"[2]
3.3 Telereward
"With Telereward you can offer users an incentive to participate in a survey. After answering the survey questions, callers can make a long distance telephone call, compliments of your company by simply keying in the telephone number they want to reach.
- increase response rates to surveys
- build customer loyalty
- create customer relationships"[2]
3.4 CWRU Projects
"For the past six years researchers at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) have been developing a highly cost-efficient means of delivering computerized information and communications services to the community. This work has resulted in two major products.
The first is the Cleveland Free-Net, the nation's first completely free, open-access, community computer system; and second, the National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN), a spin-off nonprofit organization, which establishes Free-Net community computer systems in other cities and links them together into a common network.
These systems work as follows:
A multi-user computer is established at a central location
and is connected to the telephone system through a series of
devices known as modems. Running on this machine is a program
which provides its users with everything from electronic mail
services, to information about health care, education,
technology, recreation, law, or just about anything else the host
operators would like to place on the machine.
Anyone in the community with access to a home, office, or school computer can connect to the system, 24 hours a day, and utilize these services. All of it is free, and all of it can easily be accomplished by a first-time user.
The first such system, the Cleveland Free-Net, is now a major communications and information resource serving northeast Ohio, averaging over 3500 logins a day from a registered user base of over 12,000 people. NPTN has five systems formally affiliated with it (in Cleveland, Youngstown, Cincinnati, Medina County, Ohio and Peoria, Illinois), and is expected to add at least another five systems by the end of this calendar year. These systems represent, in effect, the laboratory from which the project is run."[5]
4. Teledemocracy and goverment
Those who followed made similar use of the communications media, such as radio and television, to further close the gap between governor and governed. In our generation we are faced with the development of yet another major means of communications, a new medium, known as telecomputing. What remains to be seen is how this medium will be used to enhance the democratic process.
4.1 Three stages of Teledemocracy in democratic process
We have to look at the term Teledemocracy in three distinct stages:- "Stage One has involved us in establishing several significant governmental information services on each of the public access community computer systems.
- Stage two involved us in studying how these public access computers can best be utilized by candidates for public office to interact with the electorate, and by the electorate to learn more about the candidates.
- Stage three will involve two major
branches:
- a. The first will be to establish "electronic office
space" for as many public officials and city/county governments
as we can, in order to study the interaction between these
elected officials and their constituencies over time. There will be a long-term program to establish
permanent electronic office space for as many public officials
and city/county governments as possible.
This will allow cities and counties to post information about its services and facilities, provide information services to its citizens such as City/County Council meeting minutes, and have question and answer forums available where officials can clear-up the many questions and problems that people have.
b. The second branch will involve us with a major educational campaign whereby curricula will be devised at levels ranging from secondary schools, to college, to adult education classes, which will teach even more people how to use this technology to become better citizens. This will, however, involve a larger funding base than what is available at the moment."[5]
5. Experiments in Teledemocracy
5.1 Teledemocracy in political process
"Across the country, pioneers are integrating interactive technology with the political process. Their experiments can inform future advocates for democratic telecommunications policies.
Informing citizens.In today's complicated world, it is often difficult to locate useful information about candidates, government policy, or legislation. By linking thousands of databases, the National Information Infrastructure could provide access to the information necessary for citizens to make informed choices. These information resources help engage voters on substance rather than style and help get beyond 30-second advertisements, shorter and shorter sound bites, and horse-race campaign coverage.
Broadening deliberation. Perhaps the greatest promise of the National Information Infrastructure is its potential to restore "town hall" deliberations to American politics. As the political system becomes more professional, and personal schedules become more hectic and less flexible, citizens no longer have the opportunity to convene at a specific time in a specific place. But interactive telecommunications technologies allow citizens from all walks of life to discuss issues and politics relevant to their communities at their convenience.
Increasing government accountability. Telecommunications restores the link between citizens and their government by enabling people to observe the workings of government from their living rooms, get reams of candidate and government information at a single sitting, and see tax dollars at work with streamlined electronic service provision.
Enabling advocacy. People are disenchanted with politics because they lack a voice--except at the polls. And they are distracted from democratic processes by the many demands of daily life.
Voting.Despite the promise of electronic voting, it is far from clear whether this technology will increase turnout. Current cumbersome registration and voting procedures, which could be carried over into electronic voting systems, suppress voter turnout. And social barriers, such as limited information and citizen cynicism, cannot be combated by switching to electronic voting.
Community empowerment. Perhaps the best, yet least measurable, way to increase citizen participation in governance is to foster community connections. Civic networks--geographically defined computer networks with dial-up access and, frequently, Internet connectivity--provide discussion groups on community issues ranging from high school sports to recreation tips to local politics in addition to providing Internet e-mail services and database access.
Government and nonprofit services are often listed as well. These 21st century town halls bring all the democratic potential--information, deliberation, accountability, and advocacy--of telecommunications technologies under one roof."[6]
5.2 Lessons of Teledemocracy
"The infrastructure and applications that foster community connection and democratic participation are advancing by leaps and bounds. But users are still experimenting with social protocols and electronic etiquette taken for granted in face-to-face discussion. Some lessons:
Civic networks should encourage the provision of access points where they have the chance of engendering the greatest good. In addition to public offices and shopping malls, civic network access points should be placed in respected community locations like churches, the Salvation Army, boys' and girls' clubs, community youth centers, unemployment offices, and homeless shelters.
And Ted Becker, a political science professor at Auburn University, points out that the call-in shows and computer conferences staged by politicians might be packaged as electronic town meetings, but really offer only limited, highly structured options for input--candidate propaganda that can take advantage of voters' interest in interactive communications.
5.3 What's needed Now-appeal and access
"Appeal for the technophobes. For some, the biggest barriers to electronic participation are not cost or access, but technological unfamiliarity. Although confusing interfaces, mismatched hardware and software, disorganized databases, and expensive training programs are daunting, there is progress on the user-friendliness front.Anyone who has tried to "surf the net" realizes that navigating through a universe of information with complicated UNIX commands is like trying to find India by heading west from Spain. One may discover valuable information, but it is often not what was wanted. The National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has built a better sextant.
Its Mosaic program allows seamless information retrieval from remote databases around the world. By incorporating a graphic interface and "point-and-click" technology, Mosaic foreshadows a generation of Internet-searching applications for people other than computer scientists.
Access for the disenfranchised. With all-time-low voter turnouts and rising cynicism about elected officials and democratic process, why should people suddenly get excited about the new opportunities for participatory democracy? In a word: voice. It is true, as Ralph Nader is quick to point out, that the promises of technological innovation for making democracy work have for the most part been unfulfilled--the great educational revolution predicted by boosters of broadcast television and, a generation later, the equally revolutionary paradigm shift in education promised by cable's proponents.
But Nader acknowledges the potential value of the NII in encouraging diversity and free access to all government data bases by all people. And unlike broadcast and cable television, interactivity is a fundamental component of an effective NII. New technologies can reinvigorate the political process, but if they remain expensive and complicated, they could widen the economic, social, geographic, and ethnic gulf between the represented and the underrepresented. The real costs associated with buying computers, modems, and software, installing high-capacity phone lines, maintaining online service accounts, and learning about the equipment prohibit the use of the information infrastructure for many people.
But even though a computer in every home and a modem on every desk is not currently feasible, the combination of home computers and community computing centers can help ensure that the benefits of the NII go to all. There are some public policy and nonprofit solutions. For instance, lifeline funds--subsidized telephone hook-ups for low-income users--benefit individuals, while community computing centers provide a community location for technology training.
Even as individuals risk being left behind by the multiple costs of NII access, noncommercial information providers--advocacy groups, schools, artists, and others--risk being marginalized by corporate America's perception that the NII will support only entertainment and consumer services. Some policymakers have begun to explore ways for noncommercial services to be supported by the NII. But with the current mood against public broadcasting in Congress, noncommercial information providers are not hopeful that federal help will be forthcoming.
Supporting equitable access in the new environment. With competition rapidly replacing monopoly power in the telecommunications industry, a new debate about how to define and ensure universal service has begun. Regional telephone companies, in particular, are chafing under their traditional responsibilities as common carriers, and demanding that their competitors be required to help foot the bill for providing basic telecommunications service to all.
Another proposal calls for a new universal service fund from a tax on the gross revenue of all telecommunications firms, including information service providers, cable firms, and telephone companies. This would support subsidies for lifeline access, emergency services, and telecommunications devices for the deaf, as well as public access and civic networking. This notion is being tested in Wisconsin, where telecommunications service providers contribute a small percentage of their gross revenue to a universal service foundation.
Franchise agreements for the provision of electronic services are a good tool to promote democratic applications of technology. As new technologies emerge and companies look for new markets, states and cities can rewrite communications services franchise agreements to guarantee that some capacity is set aside for public service uses."[6]
6. Examples of Electronic Democracy
6.1 What's the private sector doing?
"The spread of cellular and mobile data communications, the rise of videoconferencing and worldwide electronic networking, the convergence of computers, broadcast and cable television, and telephony and its various components--all are driven largely by business and entertainment. And the priorities of the largest users and information-services providers could dominate efforts to reformulate telecommunications policy.In addition to numerous opinion polls suggesting consumer indifference to interactive entertainment and retail services, early results of these projects again suggest lackluster enthusiasm for video-on-demand and home shopping. For instance, in TCI's video-on-demand experiment in the Denver area, customers ordered just one movie per household every two weeks. It seems that consumers are much more willing to pay for true interactive services--services through which they can find, comment on, and produce information.
Ending in 1993, AT&T provided information services, video games, and home shopping over interactive television to 30 homes of AT&T employees in the Chicago area. AT&T concluded that there is no single irresistible consumer service. Instead, there are four characteristics in a successful interactive system: entertainment, transaction, communication, and information. For example, consumers will be more likely to support interactive television if, during the showing of a basketball game, they can buy tickets to upcoming games, send replays of spectacular dunks to friends, and check the won-lost record of the opposing team. It seems that there is a direct relationship between the level of interactivity and consumer interest."[6]
6.2 What's government doing?
"The National Information Infrastructure initiative made telecommunications a Presidential priority. The Administration is committed to wiring every clinic, library, and classroom to the NII before the end of the century.Congress once again is working on legislation to allow head-to-head competition between the regional Bell telephone companies, long distance carriers, and cable television systems. But Washington DC is simply trying to catch up to state governments and the courts. A growing number of states already allow some sort of local telephone service competition. And several courts have ruled that the regional Bell companies can provide video services in direct competition with cable companies. Deregulation advocates contend that competition will bring lower rates, accelerate infrastructure construction, and foster increased use of the NII.
In September 1993, the White House formed the Information Infrastructure Task Force (IITF) to articulate and implement the Administration's vision for the NII. The four committees--Information Policy, Telecommunications Policy, Applications and Technology, and NII Security Issues--oversee the numerous public policy issues raised by the construction of the NII.
FedWorld, an initiative of the Commerce Department's National Technical Information Service, dramatically expanded the federal government information available online. Also, the White House and almost every Cabinet-level government agency has services accessible via Gopher and the World Wide Web on the Internet. The federal government has also begun to reverse a trend to sell government information to commercial information providers for resale. For example, a 1994 Office of Management and Budget directive required federal agencies to price information products at the cost of dissemination and to avoid practices that would restrict public access."[6]
6.3 What are nonprofits doing?
"While the private sector focuses on home shopping and 500 channels of television, and the government grapples with the issues of local telecommunications service deregulation, the nonprofit sector is beginning to articulate the need for universal service and noncommercial information services.In March 1994, at the request of the Clinton Administration, the Benton Foundation convened the Public Interest Summit. Seven hundred representatives of nonprofit groups and foundations discussed telecommunications and universal access, public service delivery, economic development, community development, and democracy. This meeting demonstrated that all non-profit groups, from the Sierra Club to the Association of Junior Leagues, will be affected by the NII and must pay attention to the issues surrounding its construction.
Another strategy may be for nonprofit groups to become more aggressive participants in the telecommunications marketplace. New York Law School Professor Allen Hammond says nonprofit groups and small businesses should form consortia to buy advanced telecommunications services. By pooling their purchasing power, they stand a better chance of obtaining the most advanced links to the information superhighway. "It's not enough to say it's right, it's good, and we should do it," says Hammond. "You need allies."
Nonprofit groups also must recognize that they play an important role as information providers. "In an information society, nonprofits produce what everybody wants," argues Robert Loeb, President of the Telecommunications Cooperative Network. He urges nonprofits to become more aggressive about producing and marketing information in order to demonstrate that noncommercial uses of the information infrastructure are economically viable."[6]
7. The Future
Traffic congestion will continue to increase, respect for the environment willbecome more important, companies will need to attract better staff, improve customer service and reduce costs.
However, there will be no 'Teledemocracy Revolution'. What is more likely is anevolutionary change in working practices as a long-term result of the Information Technology Revolution. Teledemocracy will increasingly be absorbed into the mainstream of normal working practice.
"Organisations require greater flexibility to expand and contract their services to meet customer demand. This means longer opening hours and an ability to cope with peaks and troughs in demand. This flexibility is provided by using part-time and temporary workers. There will be more flexible working contracts, including job-sharing and teleworking.
The concept of what constitutes an office is changing. Traditional offices will be used in a more flexible way and offices will be developed in which there is no individual ownership of desk space. People who work in the building will have access to shared resources such as telephone, terminal, meeting room, relaxation area. They will use these resources as appropriate when they are working in the office.
Technology will continue to improve, the bandwidths of digital communications links will continue to increase allowing more information to be transmitted more quickly. Groupware, workflow management tools and schedulers will allow teams to be formed from people working in different places who will form 'virtual teams' and even 'virtual organisations'.
The continuing developments and increasing availability of videotelephony is removing the social barriers of not being able to 'see' the person at the other end of the phone. Improved mobile communications and smaller, more powerful portable personal computers will make it easier to work wherever and whenever it suits - in the office, car, telecentre, hotel room, or at home. The office, with all its support systems, could be anywhere.
As the nature of work and society continues to change, new places where work gets done will start to emerge. Rural areas are likely to see the development of 'televillages', communities in which people can both live and work in the information age. These televillages, growing from the concept of telecottages, will tackle the problems of housing and employment in rural areas, while making a positive contribution to the environment and quality of life."[4]
8. Conclusion
"Teledemocracy - information networks as citizens' means and tools for participating in societal decision making; in transforming political power structures; in realising sustainable development; in facilitating personal and communityevolution; in rebuilding social value structures; and in making the future.
Representative democracy is in crisis. Indeed, more and more observers agree that this few hundred years old idea and practice of democracy does not work as well any more in societies where more and more people gain more and more information on various social and political issues by having access to the new electronic means of communication and information. Thus large segments of citizens are now able to form personal educated opinions on common issues.
Many people have grown impatient with their governments which they see minding only narrow interests rather than fulfilling the major task of representative democracy, which is taking care of the citizens' common good. In modern societies, many people want to shift from being "the governed" into "self government." They want to become actors in society instead of being mere subordinates. They want to have more power and control to conduct their own life as they want. The future ubiquitous information networks will be a readily available tool by which people can easily empower themselves, but only if they grasp the opportunity.
What is ready to be born, then, is "teledemocracy" - a new form of direct democracy promoted by the new electronic means, that groups of tools and methods that can be generalized as Information Networks. So far, information networks, as one part of the "the Information Society," have mainly been dealt with by governments form the technological point of view.
For example, there has been a major initiaitve in the USA's NII program (National Information Infrastructure) which launched the Information Highways concept. There has been an incredibly rapid growth of the Internet network and other personal telecommunications all around the world. And last year, the Commission of the European Union declared a major plan for Europe's development towards the Information Society. Finland, too, has been very active in this field. There are more Internet users in Finland (and Iceland) per population than anywhere in the world, and the National Strategy for developing Finland towards the Information Society has just recently been completed."[1]
Teledemocracy is a good idea. However, it should not replace the present form of representative government. There are certain benefits to not allowing the simple majority to decide policy. To begin with, the majority does not think of minority rights. Additionally, the majority does not have the expertise in certain government issues. For example, could the public really decide the intricacies of the federal budget? Teledemocracy could be best used as another form of political participation.
The ease of electronic communication would facilitate participation, but it could not get everyone to participate. The best use of teledemocracy would be by the representatives. A major problem with present government is that leaders are out of touch with the public. They could easily gauge public opinion without the faults of present day polls. Teledemocracy via the Internet is much more personal and much harder for special interests to influence.
9. References
[1]. Auli Keskinen: Teledemocracy - on Societal Impacts of Information Networks (Helsinki,Finland: Painatuskaskus, 1995)http://www.auburn.edu/academic/liberal_arts/poli_sci/tann/auli.html
[2]. MT&T Technologies Inc.(Teledemocracy work)
http://www.mtt.ca/teledemo.html
[3].Public Space(Student paperwork October 1994)
http://alberti.mit.edu/arch/4.207/student-papers/public.html
[4].BT-Laboratories: An Overview of Teleworking
http://www.labs.bt.com/innovate/telework/reports/contents/anover.htm
[5].NPTN Teledemocracy Program
http://www.nptn.org/cyber.serv/AOneP/academy_one/government/about.government.txt
[6].Telecommunications and Democracy(Communications Policy Briefing)
[7].Encyclopedia Britannica Online
http://www.eb.com
