Internet Politics and Digital Divide Issues: The Rising of a New Electronic Aristocrats and Electronic Meticians

Athanasios I Bozinis

doi:10.3844/jssp.2007.24.26

Abstract

The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) from the beginning of 1990 until today has brought important changes on function and structure of both public sector and governments. Within the framework of application and use of e-democracy, new technologies enhance the citizens’ democratic participation in public affairs, by using e-voting, e-ballot, while by using e-mail, citizens can develop and consolidate the digital Ancient Agora by exchanging their views with each other or with the elected representatives. Information systems and Internet is today a powerful tool for governments and citizens aiming at the collective decision-making and the reduction of democracy shortcoming. This paper conclude that the access impossibility of citizens to digital democracy services, in the form of digital divide, can be easily compared with the right of vote in Ancient Athens, a right that only privileged citizens had.

Highlights

Computer and information science is constantly changing all social activities, ever since its initial appearance in the 17th century as calculating devices, up till the new generation of computers in 1950 and up till today[1]
The governing of a country, a definition that belongs to the wider sector of political science, with the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) is adopting an electronic feature, the definition e-governance mentions the appliance of new technologies to political processes
The first steps towards e-governance are fulfilled in 1993 in the USA, under the Clinton presidency, when a huge governing program was established, the so-called National Performance Review (NPR) that aimed towards the use of informative systems in order to create a government that would rule in low expenditure, still more effectively[3]

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Computer and information science is constantly changing all social activities, ever since its initial appearance in the 17th century as calculating devices, up till the new generation of computers in 1950 and up till today[1]. This change is obvious to international financial exchanges financial and political frames of each state[2]. Since the creation of the Internet in 1960 until its use upon the various governing methods in 1993 in the USA, all governments use new technologies so as to achieve the most effective operation of the public sector and the enforcement of political-democratic procedures[4]. Researchers claim that it is a dynamic tool for the participation of the public in the public matters and the collection of valuable demographic, social and economical data that will lead to a successful and transparent procedure of decisionmaking[6]

Background

Findings

CONCLUSION