More Information pt 2
| 08:39 UK time, Wednesday, 9 August 2006
I asked John Palfrey at the Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School about the issue of why so much more information for the world's citizens did not seem to be handing them more power.
He answered as follows:
"A lot of people have struggled with this question of whether or not in fact Internet helps democracies. Does it help people who otherwise don't have some form of empowerment to have more power? And I think we don't know the answer to that yet.
"I think what we do know is that there is more access to more information for more people around the world on more topics. And I think for starters that's an interesting fact."
Q. It's better than keeping them in the dark, I guess?
A. "It's certainly better than keeping them in the dark. But then your question is: what does that translate to in terms of political power?
"That's the piece we haven't answered yet."
Please add your comments to this central question about the Internet.
Is it's purpose becoming purely commercial, or does it really still have political potential?
Comments
Dan - I heard your invitation to blog this a.m. about the information vs. power discussion, and was thinking, "well, what about Ned Lamont?" I know, as member of MoveOn and other progressive net groups, that information I receive on the net greatly informs my own political awareness and, it would appear, influences others. I don't know if you consider that simply being a part of a group (used to be called political party) inspires one to act, but I doubt that Lamont would have achieved this victory but for the internet. I have found, after years of more "conventional" political action work, that being able to read about, respond to and take action on a political issue on the net is much easier and satisfying than phone trees, mass mailing and block parties.