Abstract
The paper deals with the analysis of changes in the interpretation of the e-democracy concept main provisions. The author compares the formulations of ‘e-democracy’ definition, which have been proposed by reputable researchers over the past 20 years. The paper considers the peculiarities of interpretation of e-democracy’s essence at the main stages of its development, which were connected with the improvement of information and communication technologies (ICT). The author summarizes the opinions of scientists that at the present stage, which is defined as a network society, e-democracy is the main tool that ensures the effectiveness of democratic procedures and the quality of political decisions. It is predicted that the next stage of development will be AI-democracy (artificial intelligence democracy). The paper considers the basic principles and functions of e-democracy, which were established by the EU legislative acts. The main directions of the impact of new ICTs on democracy are shown, and the peculiarities of their implementation in different basic models of democracy are described too. The author analyzes the submodels of ‘wikidemocracy’, ‘liquid democracy’, ‘bubble democracy’, and ‘algocracy’, which are proposed by modern researchers. The paper outlines the latest threats to e-democracy. It highlights the negative changes in the perception of social media’s political role and shows how these changes have influenced the transformation of the understanding of e-democracy. The author illuminates the critique of the instrumentalist approach to the assessment of the essence and prospects of digital technologies implementation in the processes of political communication and participation. The paper presents the achievements of researchers who focus on the ethical aspects of ICT development. The author concludes that in order to restore the truth to democratic values, it is necessary to replace the instrumentalist approach with an axiological one. This transformation is especially relevant in terms of prospects for the transition of e-democracy to the next stage of its development – AI-democracy.
Highlights
This paper is based on a forum held at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) in May 2004
It is aimed at people who are dissatisfied with mainstream politics but who care about issues which affect their lives: iCan is an interactive service designed to help people participate in democracy and civic life
A distinction should be made between government projects initiated at the excecutive level and those established by parliaments/legislatures to encourage public participation in the process of legislative scrutiny and policy deliberation
Summary
Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research University of Maryland Baltimore County. This paper is based on a forum held at the Oxford Internet Institute (OII) in May 2004. The forum was run jointly by the Oxford Internet Institute and the Maryland Institute for Policy Analysis and Research of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
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