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E-democracy is concerned with the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to engage citizens, support the democratic decision-making processes and strengthen representative democracy. Democratic actors and sectors in this context include governments, elected officials, the media, political organizations and citizens. E-democracy aims for broader and more active citizen participation enabled by the internet.
There has been a significant growth in e-democracy in the last four years. Public and private sector provide an avenue to citizen engagement while offering access to transparent information that citizens have come to expect.
The massive spread of free information through the internet has become a central networking for our world, encouraging freedom and human progress through social and economic development, the internet can be used as a tool for democracy in promoting basic human rights.
The internet provides a distinctive structure of opportunities that has the potential to renew interest in civic engagement and participation, this could include three distinct dimensions: political knowledge, political trust, and political participation.
The internet allows citizens to become more knowledgeable about government issues, and the interactivity allow for news forms of communication with government, elected officials, and public servants. ICT are merely means to an end and not normative by their nature. They are tools that may be deployed to achieve certain goals, and these goals may even be contradictory ( both coercive control and participation can be fostered by digital tech ). While many celebrate the internet as a tool for democracy, it should not be forgotten that the earlier visions of an informatization-state were rather frightening, such as the one told by George Orwell in 1984. While tech can be used for the good and bad, certain institutional framework conditions may either support or hamper the use of eletronic means for the benefit of democratic processes.
If the internet is to become a new democratic tool, through which people can participate in and influence the democratic process, it is vital that everyone who wants irrespective of age, gender, profession or geographical location has the access to it and the skills to use.
The government must be in a position to guarantee that online communications are secure and that they do not violate people`s privacy.
Internet is a two way street. It enables citizens to get and post information about politics and it allows those politicians to get advice from the people in larger numbers. This collective decision making gives more power to the citizens. This creates a more productive society that can handle problems faster and more efficiently.
