The reading selections for this week were definitely not my favorite. I am not a fan of politics at all. To be honest, it bores the heck out of me. I realize it’s important, and very relevant to me as a part of this society, but it pains me to talk about it. I just wanted to get that off my chest. lol.
In the “Impact of the Internet on Politics” article, Cornfield and Rainie pose the question is the Internet an outlet for direct democracy or is it a contributor for political divides? I think the Internet serves as both. It makes political information much more accessible to the general public, which is a great thing. As citizens, it is now easy for us to pull up information on different candidates or political figures and see what their views are, what goals they've accomplished, and what they've failed to do. Especially when regarding candidates running for various political offices, the Internet serves as a great way for them to directly interact with the voters. Through video, blogging, texting, and widely used websites, candidates can certainly express their political views and intentions more easily. They have the opportunity to reach many more people than they ever could prior to the presence of e-government. It’s a two sided coin though, because the Internet is an outlet for so many people with strong radical views to impose their opinions upon other people. Sometimes, it can be very one-sided and biased and a lot of people maybe swayed from their views by reading false or exaggerated information about something or someone. It this respect, it can harden our views, and cause people to jump ship very quickly. Candidates are vulnerable to lose many supporters this way.
I think no matter what, people are always going to have something bad to say about any and everything...but overall, I think political issues and political figures benefit from the exposure they recieve from being displayed all over the Internet. So, I say it's a good thing. You take the bad with the good, and hope the good prevails. In this case, I believe it does. Any candidate who is serious about winning their election should utilize the Internet as much as possible to campaign and get their message heard. It could be very beneficial in the end.
Here's an article about a recent increase in e-government citizen satisfaction: LINK
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2 comments:
Yeah I was really surprised and impressed when the presidential candidates' websites and other online connections were so aesthetically pleasing... because in the past, their websites haven't been so great.
I agree that politics on the internet is a double-edged sword. But in politics a double-edged sword is about the best you'll get. It is a great tool for democracy however in that it gives the common person a voice!
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