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DEMOCRACY AND THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES Technical transformations in the processing and communication of information have not only been viewed as the means for economic regeneration (for example eradicating poverty with cheap food and green consumables) but also as “vehicles of a new and more democratic social and political relationship”. This article discusses the technologies and their transformations, how these affect democracy, and the relationship between information and power. Before one can say whether the existence of these transformations and technologies will create a better democracy, their capabilities need to be examined, which essentially dictate the democratic possibilities. The technologies that he discusses are the personal computer, and the transformation in the telecommunications (e.g. fax machines, cable TV and especially the Internet.) The PC has moved from a ‘heavy information industry’ to a ‘consumer item’. People everywhere have access to a PC if not ownership, it’s reasonable in cost and doesn’t require too much training. Its user-friendly graphical user interface makes gaining the skills required to use it attainable to the majority. You need neither extraordinary finances nor a college education. The revolution in telecommunications has paved the way for the transmission of new kinds of information in quantities and at a speed that was previously unthinkable. While the possibilities surrounding this revolution seem endless, access to the Internet and personal computing resources essentially breaks down into two basic types of communication. Firstly it provides access to informational and educational resources, and secondly it allows for interaction among individuals. There’s no doubt that the there has never been such abundance of information and educational resources prior to this; we are now spoiled at the wealth of archives that are literally at our fingertips. Message boards, e-mail, and instant messenger etc. are all interactivity forms that serve as a basis for “virtual communities” (based on the exchange of messages over a computer network). It’s incredible that a conversation, which was once was the most intimate of all communication, can now be carried out on an international and anonymous scale.
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