Citizenship - "Click Here For Democracy"

It is remarkable how the push for a new kind of democracy within Canada depends so much on the availability and use of the Internet. When first introduced into the political realm it was welcomed as the new “Holy Grail” for democracy – a use of technology that could revolutionize citizens and permit them new avenues for participation. Comedian Jon Stewart, as savvy on politics as any, has spoken of his disappointment in the inability of new communications technology to empower citizens, at one point stating recently: “The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom.”Why has the use of digital communication not created a more empowered citizenry? It is still the repository of so much hope within the younger generation for bringing about democratic change that it’s worthy of a number of posts in this series on citizenship for that reason alone. There will be so many opinions on this that it will be difficult to muddle our way through. It’s also important to note that I’m no expert on this subject and therefore can’t offer any authoritative advice for making it more effective. This one thing we know for certain, however: if democracy and our politics are to be renewed, the digital communication will have to be one of its most basic tools, despite its failures at present.When Bill Gates initially spoke of the importance of the Internet to politics, he concluded: “The Internet is becoming the town square for the global village of tomorrow.” So far that hasn’t happened, despite the hoopla, because the traditional town square was not just a gathering place, or a marketplace, but, in political terms, a place where the commons was managed and overseen. As of yet, being online hasn’t produced such an effect in broad enough terms to revolutionize democracy itself.I want to dedicate a good amount of time to this subject because I have come to a certain conclusion. Though the Internet never lived up to its promise in democratic terms for numerous reasons, it has now proceeded too far to be excluded from any future efforts to bring citizens together to decide their common future. In fact, it can still become essential to that process. Also, we forget that the horse has already left the barn in terms of the younger generation that has only known the world through technology, and lots of it.This is vital because the generational gap running through democracy these days is profound in its implications. Our entire civilization has founded itself on the word and its various emanations. That is me in a nutshell. I grew up acquiring knowledge from the construction of words. I read, I write, and my main news source still comes from a traditional media struggling to adapt to new realities. I used to depend on it solely, but with the increased partisan nature of many journalists and some of the innovative thoughts appearing online from independents, I am branching out somewhat. But it’s still true that a relevant democracy will have to bridge the divide between the “word” generation and the “digital” one.Sure, the new digital media is text-based, but it’s rapidly moving into the image world more conducive with television and movies than with newspapers. As we allow photos and moving images to flood our senses, words can lose their importance. And since words and language are vital to the exercise of democracy, especially in how we communicate with one another, our modern political life can suffer as a result.Citizens require knowledge to function as a body that oversees modern society, but how they come by that information is vital. Is it mediated or just thrown out there by self-proclaimed experts? This is an important distinction. Traditional media have editorial boards and other similar “filters” that make sure that information dispatched is accurate and fair. The Internet is still in its early stages and as yet delivers vast sums of opinions unvetted. Its information is immediate (as we witnessed in the various dispatches from the Arab Spring), but it is easily manipulated and can turn out to be factually incorrect.An integrated citizenry will require better than this. As traditional media increasingly fails in its objective role as societal observer and truth-teller the gravitation towards digital realms will be inevitable. But for it to work for citizens, the Internet will have to introduce responsible filters that can permit adult discussions and effectively train citizens in how to socially communicate with one another in ways that build and enhance communities.As George Lundberg once put it: “Information on the Internet is subject to the same rules and regulations as conversation at a bar.” That’s troubling, yet modern democracy requires the Internet if it is to navigate the difficult waters ahead. In many ways we are what we learn. If our communication venues are populated with just as much “stuff” as the marketplace, we are no better off.