20110403

Digital technology and citizenship


J-P. B.
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            The advent of the digital technology is widely considered as the third Industrial Revolution. Actually, the computerization in general, the increasing use of internet and its applications have strongly contributed to change the methods of productions and management, trade and communications. This revolution has to be connected with internationalization of which is the catalyst. This revolution has also the potentiality to bring new ways of considering social life. Therefore, the advent of social networks seems to offer different ways of building a different society. Furthermore, the information flow is wider, faster, richer, and above all more shared. Are these the ferments of new social relationships, of a new possible implication of citizens in general politics, particularly by their acts and claims (meaning explaining their points of view and their ideas on the subjects that concern society) ?

The example of the Arabic Revolutions is in every mind. These Revolutions have been supported, prepares, broadcast, followed thanks to the means of digital technology, particularly thanks to the social networks. The first analyses on these movements tend to replace these revolutions in their socio-economic context, but they point out that the digital technology means accelerate the process and aggregate ideas and convictions. In other words, they allow groups of people, who share the same ideas, to gather quickly in collectives and to communicate easily and non-stop. The digital technology tool makes easier the gatherings; the actions, information and the misappropriations of dictatorial messages.

It’s an exceptional and emblematic example of changes that are occurring. Other changes concern the continuous democratic process of the states, particularly of Europe, and in certain states of the European Union. The political parties are using more and more the digital technology (web sites, blogs, twitter feeds, facebook account, …) to communicate, spread their ideas and programmes, play with the “viral effect” of web but not only. A will it involve people is emerging. “Participative democracy” through e-participation and e-citizenship is evoked. It questions the ways of governance or e-governance. Support and comments are expected in return. Countries such as Norway, Estonia and Switzerland experiment the e-voting. The e-voting has been introduces as a way of complementary vote in Estonia since 2005. Five elections have been tested with such a possibility (local elections in 2005 and 2009, parliamentary elections in 2007, and the election of MEPs (Members of European Parliamentary) in 2009 and 2011.

Iceland and the Icelandic people, in relation of the financial crisis, have chosen to nationalize its banks but furthermore to defeat the government and its parliament. The people has been appealed by referendum on future choices and 25 members of the civil society have been elected to enter the Constitutional Council in order to start the rewriting of the constitution which has been completely open to the people participation.. This active participative democracy is possible particularly thanks to digital technology means :
The Constitutional Council official site :http://www.stjornlagathing.is/english/
The official Constitutional Council Facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/stjornlagarad
The twitter account : http://twitter.com/#!/stjornlagarad
The u-tube channel : http://www.youtube.com/user/Stjornlagarad
The flick’r account :http://www.flickr.com/photos/stjornlagarad

The constitution draft has been finalized and approved by the Constitutional Council on July 27th 2011. It has been transmitted and put on line on July 29th 2011, and the Parliament must examine it on October 1st 2011. If the Parliament adopt the constitution or if it’s adopted by referendum, as it is hoped by numerous members of the Constitutional Council, we will be the witnesses of the application of the first participative e-constitution.

Thus, the digital technology practices and the offered and possibilities are huge an only require to be developed. They can allow human communities and people to express their opinion and choices ; they can allow leaders to gather and integrate their opinions and choices. It’s sure that the computering revolution brings a powerful and progressive tool. Does this revolution, also called Information Revolution, only brings means of actions that have additional capacity, speed and efficiency ? Could the revolution or the evolution be considered more subtle or important as it is now ? there is a huge debate on the idea of “digital natives”, of “y” or even “z” generation. The aim is not to enter into a sterile and false debate and to oppose new and old generations, “youth against the elderly”. It’s a matter of determining , looking for the ideas that would permit to have a wider idea on the evolution of our society. Can the computering, the digital technology, the information revolution have an impact on the human development ? Would this development bring different behaviours, different ways of life and reflections ? Could the examples that would make people think that human nature is evolving, be considered ? Here again, there is no notion of good or bd. Even if a human evolution could be attested, unfortunately, it would not automatically means a positive moral evolution.