ICT in politics: from peaks of inflated …

ICT in politics: from peaks of inflated expectations to voids of disillusionment :
Today, most European democracies are experiencing a decline of confidence in traditional structures of policy formation and low voter turnout. In a climate of growing dissatisfaction with governments and politics, both citizens and policy-makers have realised the potential of electronic (e-) democracy for enhancing efficiency, approval and legitimacy of political processes. eParticipation is generally promoted rather uncritically. However, digital technologies do not “save us from ourselves” (Barber 1999) but work merely as amplifiers of existing political trends. They could even be creating new democratic problems or exacerbating old ones. It is probably to early to spot the full effects of eParticipation since new technologies show their actual effects only when some time has elapsed after their introduction. At present, the rapid flow of new digital tools is causing peaks of inflated expectations and voids of disillusionment, while the perennial problems of democracy remain unresolved.
URL : http://www.epractice.eu/en/document/313344