Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tapscott Pt. 3: Government and social interaction
I like the idea of Democracy 2.0. The concept has great potential, given that citizens engage in “reasoned opinions”. Just as Gore made claim that television changed the way the government and its citizens engage in conversation, the Internet pushes participation in a positive direction where citizens can really converse again through digital media. Allowing for interaction in politics can change democracy in our country, truly making it democratic…where voices and opinions are heard and exchanged. But the collaboration has to come from both sides of the spectrum. Politicians need to engage as well and encourage their constituents to truly be the voice behind the representation. I know that politics is a touchy subject and Tapscott is clear in pointing out that politician need to gain and maintain trust from citizens. “Trust depends on transparency.” “Governments can sit back and wait for Net Geners to force them to become more transparent, or they can be active participants in shaping the flow of communications to citizens.” (pg267) I really think this could not be more true. We have the tools, we have the technology; we (politicians and citizens) need to cooperate and collaborate and work towards the greater good. Net Geners are poised to lead the charge.
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I agree, I think the Internet is going to continue to be a larger and larger part of politics in our country. I think the biggest part of it is many of the national politicians such as senators, representatives, and presidents up until now didn't grow up with cell phones and the internet. President Obama is the first president to really take advantage of the internet, posting weekly videos on YouTube and using his Blackberry a lot.
ReplyDeleteAs more politicians grow up with this technology they will start to integrate it into their jobs, hopefully keeping in contact with their constituents more and listening to them. Gone are the days when we would have to hand write a letter to our congressman to get a hold of them, we can now voice our opinions to them in real time as we see them making horrible decisions!