Wk7 Extra Reading (Netizens)

Hauben, M. "The Net and the Future of Politics: The ascendancy of the Commons" In Netizens: An Anthology. Available online at: http://www.columbia.edu/~rh120/ch106.x14.

What are your experiences with electronic government or eDemocracy; how would you rate them? Is this evolution good or bad, and why?

This article falls fully into the category of standard Internet democracy idealist visionary. It calls out all the classic possibilities (and I do appreciate the Mill, even if it was dad.) In the utilitarian tradition there is a belief that with the right tools we can quantify and categorize our way to societal perfection. If we are to achieve that science fiction socialist vision that we see so often in fiction, then I suppose the democracy of the Internet is an important step.

I must share a Bjork lyric with you: "I thought I could organize freedom. How Scandinavian of me." (from Hunter, off Homogenic)

My e-government experience... It has consisted of researching a bit before I vote and of course the ever popular modern concerned citizen trend of emailing your congressman. I have a good friend who has been involved in state level politics for a while. He worked for a politician signing responses to letters. These were physical letters. We know how much easier it is to do this electronically... in fact automatic. Just have the computer wait a week and it might even look like they read it. Anyhow, I assume that at most my email amounted to a TALLY on some list. So mark me down for ending the Iraq conflict. I'll accept my one tally mark... on one list... in front of one congressman... representing one state... in the minority. eDemocracy couldn't be healthier.