Politics

1. Politics Group members: Adnan Sheikh, Ben Yap, Sarah Lopez, Jose Kasijo, Felicia Lam, and Melvin Fernandez

2. The AmericanApproach The Chicago School Frontierism Highways and Utopia

3. The Chicago School • Communications research has it origins in 1880’s • Based on • Herbert Spencer and his organic conception of society • The parallel growth of telegraphs and railroads • Communication is more than information circulation

4. Frontierism • The Chicago school viewed communication as the new frontier • Had a very western feel • Unexplored territory • Space for creativity • Reignites the past, and the process of colonization and freedom

5. Frontierism • ‘Cyberpunks’ and technological geeks can be viewed as explorers and freethinkers • All the work done by the Chicago school and researchers who continued their work afterwards can be seen as liberators

6. Highways and Utopia • Highways make traffic flow faster • Used as a metaphor to explain the internets role as a medium which brings information to the masses at great speeds • Reenactment of 1812 • Links between the east and west coast were created • Communication and transportation. • Unifying the country

7. Highways and Utopia • Communication. Transportation. Power. • Al Gore’s use of the superhighway speech “The Global Information Infrastructure ...will circle the globe with information superhighways on which all people can travel. These highways ...will allow us to share information, to connect, and to communicate as a global community. The GII [Global Information Infrastructure] will spread participatory democracy. In a sense, the GII will be a metaphor for democracy itself.”

8. Public Sphere

9. Public Sphere • Jürgen Habermas developed the notion of the public sphere • a part of life where people can exchange views on matter of importance so that public opinion can be formed. • It is the process of debate by the public to arrive at an informed decision which will benefit society.

10. Public Sphere • ‘Bad Subjects’ • An online magazine which has members who are active in commenting and discussing political issues

11. Media and Democracy • Can be argued that contemporary media does not play its part in democracy • Newspapers try and avoid controversy • Editors rarely create space for a political debate • The gap between the ideology and practice of democracy is increasing

12. Media and Democracy • The media now plays a role in political progress in the form of publicity • Television programs which involve forum groups give viewers a feeling of being involved • False sense of democracy

13. Revitalizing the Public Sphere • The media could facilitate the democratic process by acting as an agency of representation • By collecting views of various social groups, conflicts should try and be resolved, and agreements should be cemented • This can be made possible through the internet but the resources and coordination required for it to be carried out effectively would be enormous

14. I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU G.C.T am Watching YOU Surveillance and Control I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU Daddy is Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU I am Watching YOU L.K.Y is Watching YOU I am Watching YOU

15. The Panopticon • Most things on the Internet is based on trust • The fear is that government controls will diminish the ability of the internet to support democracy effectively “You cant see me, I can see you” Panopticon blueprint by Jeremy Bentham, 1791

16. Censorship • Pakistani Government • Censors all Internet traffic • Singaporean Government • Sexual, political, and religious content • The United States Government • Certain forms of speech • Libel • Obscenity

17. Surveillance • As the Internet gains wider acceptance and usage, the rate of surveillance has increased significantly • Examples: • A jail in the USA has begun webcasting live footage of inmates being searched • Advertising companies track as they travel between websites • The Chinese government jailed several people in October 2001 for their online activities

18. Access and Participation

19. Access & Participation • Central problem: Full participation • Concept of Democracy: • All parties affected must be included • Able to interact in a free, equal & easy manner • No restrictions on topics • Outcomes can be revised

20. Access & Participation • Normative model: specific set of class, general interests and is inaccessible to most citizens • Aspects of exclusion: • Internal and external sources • Internal sources: for participation • External sources: to give voice to their opinions

21. Leisure & Wealth • Crucial aspect of participation: leisure to contribute to debate on matters of concern, in particular wealth and the potential for leisure • To have leisure, citizens need private property • Man with income: required to earn an income, thus less leisure • Man with means, wife and servants: leisure free from time consuming work

22. Leisure & Wealth 1990s: • Computer access a necessity for taking part in the Internet’s public sphere • Computers were a luxury • To gain equity of access, one had to sell their privacy

23. Gender & Rationality • Previous dominance of the Internet by males is falling • Coffee house convention: all had the right to speak, listen and respond • Discussions continued till issue was resolved • Idea: if debate continued, prejudices and incorrect information would be unearthed • Hence, better, more rational argument to emerge victorious

24. Gender & Rationality French Republican Sphere: • Constructed deliberately in opposition to the large female population • Branded as artificial, effeminate and aristocratic • “Manly” styles of speech judged superior to “effeminate” styles

25. Gender & Rationality • Marketplace of Ideas: • Make rational collective decisions • Self correcting • 20th Century: • Feminists theorized their secondary status • Women’s lack of access to public sphere was the main cause • Now: • Women are more educated • Use rationality in debate • Men start to feel their full range of emotions • Thus, able to integrate them more effectively

26. Gender & Equal Voice • While gender inequalities exists, how equal participants in discussions can be? • Example: Men interrupt women more than women interrupt men, men speak more then women, and when women do interrupt they are ignored more than men

27. Gender & Equal Voice • Absence of gender cues in discussions does not eliminate sexism or hierarchies of gender • Men have stronger dominance on the Net • Gender imbalance is dynamic • Significant effect on subjects discussed

28. First World Bias • Literacy rates & education vary widely • Minimal or non-existent in some countries • U.S. dominates the Internet thus agenda is set by American culture and concerns • Gradually lessening • Discourse is largely confined to issues of Americans

29. Literacy & Education • Democracy associated with widespread literacy • While literacy can engender democracy, it also makes impossible demands • Internet discussion presumes participants have basic knowledge • Second and third world country citizens with access to computers were still locked out discussions because of knowledge

30. English • International communication only possible if people are able to converse with one another • Most are deprived of the Net because of the Net’s operating language • Need for “Cyber-English” • More dominating than other forms • Internet does not provide a vehicle for global participation

31. Social Issues

32. Online Voting • Why should we be interested? • You vote to be represented • Think back to 2002 • Jean Marie Le-Pen reaches final round of French Presidential Elections! • Al Gore wins the US Presidency? • Every vote counts • http://www.fairvote.org/turnout/intturnout.htm

33. Online Voting • Poll site: Staffed polling places with computers • Regional poll site: Staffed poll site in particular city or region • ‘Kiosk’ Internet voting: Convenient locations (post office, shopping mall, petrol stations, etc) • Remote stations: Any computer connected to the Internet http://www.parliament.uk/post/pn155.pdf

34. Online Voting • Major Concerns • Security • Coercibility • Vote selling • Vote solicitation • Registration http://avirubin.com/e-voting.security.html

35. Decline in Quality • As Internet participation has moved mainstream, this has harmed the quality of discourse • Flame Wars • Trolling • Spam • Pervasive Advertising • Inanity • Off-topic Discussion • This has caused the movement from public spaces to private ones

36. Decline in Quality • Tragedy of the commons “useful public area attracts more and more participants, until the space is degraded and fails to fulfil its original purpose” • The eco-system analogy

37. Change • What do we need for the public sphere to be counted as a force for democratic action? • Everyone who might be affected takes part in the discussion • All have equal, free interaction on any topic • The outcomes can be negotiated

38. Change • So from this perspective, what does the Internet provide? • Access to the Internet is not universal • Factors restrict interaction • Language, connection speed, prior knowledge of topic, etc • The Internet, to a certain extent, allow for the establishment of consensus

39. Selective Self-Presentation Overattribution of Similarity Self-Fulfilling Prophecy Asynchronous Communication Computer-Mediated Communication • People behave differently when they communicate via computers • Hyperpersonal perspective of Social Information Processing Theory

40. Computer-Mediated Communication • Communication is both more democratic and open • Lack of contextual and social cues means a more equal share of discussion • Yet we see attempts to reemphasize status through indicators • Ebay’s feedback system • Slashdot’s “karma” system

41. Political Economy

42. Commodification Politicians sold as commodities Citizens treated as consumers

43. How? • Appearance • Money is spent to engage various services of • Image consultants • Fitness trainers • Hairstylist • Plastic Surgeons/Dermatalogist

44. Why? • Politicians have to appear on various media like • Television • Advertisements • Campaigns They want to appeal to the public with not just their ideas but also with their image, physical appearance.....

45. Its All Planned • Events are staged • Quotes pre-worded • They are prepared by publicity specialist.

46. The Internet • The political “commodities & consumer” relationship is replicated on the Internet. • However, it has room for other dissenting voices and the Internet is not a fully commercialized media..... • eg. blogs, newsgroups, forums

47. Media Concentration • Most media like television, radio, newspapers and magazines are almost fully commercialised • Not everyone has access to it • Does not allow rational-critical debate • Used make claims that will draw in votes and political loyalty.

48. Media Concentration • Richer and more powerful organisations still may be able to take control and influence online communities • It is better if the Internet is owned by many private organisations rather than a few large private organisations • Its better to have more views before making judgement

49. Internet As a Profit Centre • Services on the Internet are used to generate capital • Paid Advertising • Pay-per-use • Commissions • Referral fee • Subscriptions

50. Internet As a Profit Centre • Organizations make use of the Internet not only to generate material returns but also goodwill, brand loyalty • They also collect customer demographics and other information through the Internet