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One more step into cyberspace
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Cyberspace is one of the
most talked-about topics of our age. With the increasing
use of the Internet, cyberspace has come into our daily
lives. This suggests some questions and, most of all,
how the Internet is going to affect society draws our
attention. I'd like to talk about the influence of the
Internet, especially on the realm of politics.
Reading through the growing number of works related to
computers and politics, we see that most answers fall
into one of two camps. Probably the larger camp belongs
to the utopians, those who see computer networks as ushering
in a new age of democratic politics. The other camp has
just the opposite prediction. That is, computer networks
will create a new age of conflict and misinformation.
Which is closer to the truth? At the risk of oversimplifying
their positions, I'd like summarize below the basic ideas
and beliefs of each camp.
For any democracy, information is an essential resource.
On the one hand, one of the major failings of democracy
is that so few people actually take part in the democratic
process. One of the reasons many pundits think the public
fails to participate is that they lack sufficient information
about the political process. Without basic knowledge about
the government, how it works, and who runs it, people
simply tune out. On the other hand, we have the simple
fact that democracy thrives on information. Democracy
requires leaders and, hopefully, the populace to discuss
ideas and policies affecting the society. But deliberative,
thoughtful discussion requires knowledgeable and informed
discussants.
So, utopian visionaries regards the Internet, which can
deliver nearly unlimited information to your monitor in
mere moments, as the promise of a better democracy. The
Internet, they contend, can help to make all of us more
active and knowledgeable about government. In fact, these
technologies make it possible to hold national town hall
meetings in which the nation (or some sizable portion)
meets possible to debate and certainly to decide the issues
of the day. For example, it is technologically possible
(though currently prohibitively expensive) to attach a
keypad to everyone's television so that during a televised
"issues convention" we could each simply log
our position pressing 1 to vote yes, 2 to vote no. An
even more sophisticated vision would be an on-line equivalent
to MBC's "100-Minute Discussion,' where the public
watches the debate and e-mails, faxes, or calls in their
opinions or questions. The experts and local audience
discuss the comments and then a vote is taken. Either
way, even today the technology is available to make such
interactive democracy possible.
There are, however, a few voices offering warnings instead
of hope. Some consider the idea of instant electronic
voting for public policies and find it wanting. Plebiscitary
democracy, they argue, is not democratic deliberation
but simple head-counting. One problem, they assert, is
that passive participation is far different from active
and thoughtful consideration. Watching and registering
one's vote is a far cry from the town hall ideal of debate
and persuasion. Moreover, the position that wins is most
likely to be the largest and not the most rational. Finally,
electronic democracy runs the risk of dividing a nation
into smaller and smaller factions as broadcast media begin
to "narrowcast" messages to specific groups.
With media sending messages to just those suited to hear
them, we become shielded from ideas that we may find distasteful
but should hear nonetheless.
At any rate, there can be no doubt that cyberspace may
offer a new forum for voters and political candidates
to interact like never before. In this respect, the trial
of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) is of
great importance. Voters in the primary elections for
MDP, for the first time in Korea, are using both electronic
voting and Internet voting to choose candidates.
We are never sure of the result of MDP's election, but
all of us are certain that MDP's trial to use the Internet
for primary elections cast a new possibility of cybeprpolitics.
It is time that we should be more alert to the advent
of new political world? the cyberspace. |
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Jung Gi-woong
A lecturer of Department of General Education
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