The Role of the Internet to Authoritarian Rule - Assignment Example

1-What challenges does the Internet present to itarian rule? What are the ways that the Internet challenges political ity in non-democratic or quasi-democratic countries? It is undeniable that internet has become one of the most important tool for societal interaction and a platform for the exchange of information. It plays a vital role in democratization of nations through passing of information in its many networks. Many believe that new technologies carry with them the freedom desired to liberate countries under authoritarian leaderships. This is because to survive in an authoritarian leadership, one needs to control the flow of information that can empower the subjects to revolt against leaders. There is a notion that increased technology will undermine the power of the state to control information received by citizens. In the past, many leaders like Ronald Reagan have thought of internet as a great force for democracy. Certainly, information is one of the greatest societal empowerment tools. Although internet is not insurmountable, it primarily depends on the social, economic, and political status of the citizens as well as the government. Internet is a powerful tool that can be used to pass information and get feedback from persons in oppressive regimes. A major advantage with internet is that it reaches a great multitude of people at the same time, gets feedback from the audience about the subject, which will give a lead that will stop oppression. More important is the fact that internet users enjoy autonomy and, therefore, can post web content without being victimized. Citizens can pass their dissatisfaction and discontent with the current leadership on websites, and this can cause international communities to intervene. This may cause the fall of an authoritarian leadership. For instance, recent Egyptian revolution is an example of internet as a medium for change. It all started with creation of a single Facebook page, which quickly gained attention of thousands and later millions of Egyptians, making it a global issue. Internet empowered the Egyptian protestors as it gave all persons who had access to internet an opportunity to be involved with the democratization process. Protestors communicated their plans through internet to produce real time results with huge impact (“Egypt: Internet: A weapon on mass revolution”). The internet presents unique challenges to authoritarian rule precisely due to the fact that it has the potential to defy the structural restrictions of such societies. The internet provides alternative ways of expression that are beyond the control of local authorities. According to studies on the potentials of the internet, it is not entirely easy to police the internet, which makes it a convenient tool for uncontrolled communication (Paltridge 94). The authorities have often controlled other structures that determine the communication of human rights. This is because the state can institute operational structures that would control the nature of usage of such facilities. Due to such control, the government has the upper hand in determining the kind of communications that take place between individuals. The control of communication is one of the ways that has often been used by autocratic regimes to exert their control over their subjects. Usually, it becomes easy for people who wish to hold alternative views to enlist the services of the internet. It has often been argued that the use of the internet has provided the necessary resources for challenging the authorities of the state. By its very nature, the internet has defied all forms of control since it cannot be delimited to any boundary restrictions. The use becomes an important tool to circumvent the structures that hinder the free flow of information. The internet provides an alternative forum for people to exercise their freedom of expression without fear of reprisals. People can mobilize and engage in discussions that might lead to major political decisions. For instance, it has been argued that much of the mobilization that led to the Arab uprising was made possible by the internet communication. Through the social networking sites, it became possible for the instigators of the revolutions to involve vast groups of people in the reform agenda without necessarily incurring the resistance of government control systems. Some of the issues stemming from the value of the internet in democratic processes include the sustenance of communication across boundaries. This allows for the expansion of perspectives beyond the limits established by the restrictions and suppressions of ant given political systems. It might be important to analyse the value of the internet in light of the various factors that combine to determine its usage. Similarly, the complex nature of the internet which allows for the compression of the elements of space and time have made it increasingly difficult for the autocratic regimes to rid themselves from the effects of uncontrolled communication made possible by the internet. One other value of the internet should be analyzed from the perspective that it allows for alternative thought. People are able to express their free opinions without fear of intimidation by use of the internet resource. It has often been assumed that the internet resource makes it possible for the free flow information from one source to another without any structural hindrances (Kraut, Brynin and Kiesler 159). The global nature of the internet resource naturally expands the debates in a manner that allows the participation of people outside the boundaries of any given state. This aspect should be seen in light of the concept of global citizenship. The pressure generated from such expansive discussions often makes it possible for people to engage in discussions in a way that threatens the systems and structures, which hinder individual freedoms and liberties. ________________________________________________________ 2. What are the ways that Internet could potentially transform political participation? Explain. A significant number of citizens believe that politicians and the government are hardly synchronized with the needs of citizens and that today’s pertinent problems in the society are beyond the reach of public policy. The hierarchical systems in the government make the issue worse since it makes it hard for citizens to point out the individuals who are mandated to effect policies and regulations that bind the public. Internet can go a long way to help citizens gain access to the members representing them in parliament. In addition, citizens can air out their grievances through the social networks and trigger the minds of politicians to their issues. This way they influence the decisions made by their politicians. It is sad that there is a significant decline in democratic decision-making in public issues with politicians using their offices to hoard wealth, leaving the citizens disappointed. Internet use will enhance citizens’ involvement in making decision hence enhancing political accountability. Internet could potentially transform political participation by making it fun other than the known notion of politics as a dirty game. This is more so for young politicians who want to invent new ways of doing politics and communicating with leaders. Politicians have a chance to answer the many questions that citizens have about them and make follow-ups on how the public is responding to various issues in the society. Internet gives an opportunity to citizens to fill up a questionnaire detailing their preferences in a wide range of issues. The politicians do the same as prospective voters and citizens can now compare different politicians and note the one who carry most of their preferences. Citizens can now narrow down and make a more informed judgment on whom to vote for various positions in the government. Additionally, internet can transform political participation by involvement of all citizens born in that state in the political and election process regardless of their current places of residence. Internet allows citizens living abroad to share information with those in the state. Information on how to carry out politics and interact with politicians can flow through the internet. Through such interactions, uncivilized states can gain vast knowledge in politics and team up to build the nation. During voting process, friends use internet to encourage one another to vote and vote wisely for certain positions in the government. The internet determines the manner in which political participatory paces take place. Over the times the internet has become one of the most utilized resources in political processes with an efficiency that reaches to diverse groups of targeted and untargeted populations. Essentially, the internet provides a virtual platform to politicians to articulate their views to the public in a more efficient and effective manner. Such processes are only possible through a system that reaches to populations across vast distances without incurring logistical and technical difficulties (Cellary and Iyengar 61). Similarly, the participation of the public in political processes has been enhanced by the internet. The public can now use the resources availed by the internet to give their opinions of various political subjects or offer their positions on some of the problematic matters that concern the political systems in their regions. The value of internet transformation in the context of political participation could be best appreciated through an appraisal of the difficulties that have affected the process of participation over the times. Naturally, the internet determines the efficiency in the processes of communication. The traditional systems of political participation locked out many people who could not access the requisite entry points into the systems of communication. One of the challenges that have affected the efficiency of communication in the past has often revolved around the matter of logistics. It was essentially problematic for the general public to engage in political processes precisely because of the manner in which the logistics were organized to favour certain individual in the society. Usually, only the people on the upper parts of the hierarchical structures could engage in meaningful communication within the context of political participation. Due to the structural difficulties, a majority of the population were locked out of the political processes. Studies have shown that communication is one of the essential attributes of political participation. Societies with mature democratic processes have often invested substantially in the communication processes in order to foster the element of communication by the general public. Matters of politics are necessarily tied together with governance. Representative governments are usually determined by the manner in which people articulate their views around issues of governance. The internet resource has enhanced the expression of views within the context of political participation. The internet cannot be easily controlled by local rules of communication. It provides a terrain in which the powers of the politicians and that of the public meet as equals. In this manner, the internet plays the important role of determining the kind of communication, which takes place within the general public. The internet has transformed political processes by opening up multiple platforms of communication. It has changed the structures of power by enabling the citizenry to undertake measures that are essentially meant to enhance the expression of people’s opinions in the context of politics. For instance societies and governments that had exerted suppressive and oppressive systems of governments have faced increased challenges because of the opportunities availed to their subjects to look for solutions, support and power beyond the restrictions of boundary. On this score it might be argued that the internet resource has expanded the processes of democratization across the continents. ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­___________________________________________________________ 3. Will the Internet serve as an avenue for individual empowerment or will it increase corporate, governmental, and bureaucratic control over information? Internet will act as an avenue for individual empowerment because it has the potential to engage citizens in politics. Engaging in politics means that individual interests are taken care of by the government after incorporating their views in making decisions. For instance, the youths lack interest in politics or political activities while the same is very vital to them. Therefore, through internet, youths will acquire political empowerment because they are willing to experiment with new technologies and formats. To youths, a new technology is a means of gaining advantage in education and employment. Youths have more time and expertise to use web-based platforms to research and access information, which they use in making democratic choices. Information communication and technology provides open online collaboration where regular individuals become potential producers of valuable information through their comments. The government initiates such channels to encourage democracy, openness and receipt of vital information. The government uses such information in making decisions pertaining to its citizens. Although they may not use the entire public opinion, it will incorporate it together with the opinion of experts in making decisions. In some instances, the government and corporate society may establish a common website where their members can give their views on issues concerning them for their control. This happens in authoritarian governments who are concerned with every flow of information, which they fear would make their subjects revolt against them. Such governments block certain sites to their citizens to prevent them from receiving information that can guarantee freedom. For instance, the recent internet censorship has raised brawls on role of powerful governments in regulating democratic content on the internet. It is arguably true that any strong and malicious government can authoritatively control internet content thereby compromising the same democracy internet is supposed to provide to people. In most cases, internet will serve as an education tool to individuals other than increasing governmental, corporate, or bureaucratic control. In conclusion, internet is a vital tool for democracy in any country. The role of the internet in increasing the empowerment of the individual might be analyzed in light of the concept of decentralization. In general terms, the element of communication implies an exchange of power. The point of origin of information is regarded as the strong point of communication. Previously, governments and corporate bodies were regarded as the authorities in terms of communication because they enjoyed the monopoly of communication systems. However, with the passage of time, these forces eventually yielded to the decentralized power of communication and information as made possible by the power of the internet. Individuals can access information and participate in processes that were initially restricted to the powerful systems, and organizations within the society. The internet has enhanced the growth of the information age in relation to values and beliefs of various societal discourses (Solove, Rotenberg, and Schwartz 87). It might be argued that the aspect of communication determines the kind of power exchange that takes place between the two points or the multiple points of communication. Ultimately, some of the factors that determine communication strings between the two points of communication are the aspect of power exchange. The empowerment of individuals as the basic units of the society is dependent on the flow and the control of information. Naturally, the points of concentration of information determined the kind of power that exists between the two points. It might be argued that communication is a process that is reliant in the relationship between the two points. However, it should also be considered that the essence of communication is determined by interactions between various societal discourses, which combine to determine the nature of relationship that occurs between the source and the recipient. Usually, such forces of communication were conditioned by the kind of power that corporate bodies and governments wielded. However, continued innovations have made it possible for the power of information to trickle down to the common people. The development of portable communication gadgets have made it easy for communication to take place at individual level. Information determines the kind of power that individuals or institutions wield over the society. The portable internet-enabled personalized technologies have made it possible for communication to take place at lower levels of communication. Due to these developments, the internet has evolved as an important tool for individual empowerment and denied other organizations the monopoly over information. On this note, development of internet technology has enabled the expression of individual freedoms and the enhancement of the transfer of power from centralized systems to centers that are generally accessible to the general public. Before the development of the internet, the privilege of information was put under the control of corporate, governmental, and bureaucratic systems. With the emergence of the internet, the limits of controlled have been erased thereby creating systems that enable for the free flow of information to various centers and from various sources. Ultimately, it could be emphasized that the control of information has been transformed with the emergence and development of the internet resource. The social, economic and political fields have been affected positively by the internet resource. Although the use of the internet has faced some logistical challenges, the global adoption of the internet technology is expected to create new synergies in various systems in a way that could affect the general development of the society. Works Cited “Egypt: Internet: A weapon on mass revolution”. Media Law and Freedom of Expression, 2008. Web. 21 July 2012, Cellary, Wojciech and Arun Iyengar. Internet Technologies, Applications and Societal Impact. New York: Springer, 2002. Print. Kraut, Robert, E., Malcolm Brynin and Sara Kiesler. Computers, Phones, and the Internet: Domesticating Information Technology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Print. Paltridge, Sam. Internet Access for Development. New York: OECD Publishing, 2009. Print. Solove, Daiel J., Marc Rotenberg and Paul M. Schwartz. Privacy, Information, and Technology. New York: Springer, 2006. Print. Read More