New Media in a Democratic Society. Can citizens participate in the governance of a country by using new media?

Society in this modern age has grown interconnected to such a point that there can be a direct link between politics and citizens. New media has stimulated this growth simultaneously and is expected to create an exceptional experience of political participation on the internet in the mere future. In a democratic society, new media is seen as a platform for access of information. This essay will discuss the critical role that new media has in the development of, and maintenance of democracy. Democracy is defined by the dictionary as “government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.’’ In the phrase of Abraham Lincoln, democracy is “government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

Peruvian communication theorist Rosa Maria Alfaro asserts that “today the media constitute a crucial source of civic education and legitimization of democratic power. Political elites legitimize themselves or join dissident discourses through their interactions with newspapers, magazines, radio and television. Notions of political authority, political values and general understanding of a nation’s political institutions are consolidated through the daily programmes of the mass media and particularly via news. The national and international agenda emerge from daily mass media processes of production and consumption. Both the concept and feeling of nation and of the world are also articulated in the production and consumption of the media.

In a democratic country like South Africa, the internet has become more informative, and social media has become a platform for freedom of expression. This means that citizens of South Africa are allowed access to information regarding parliamentary affairs and can participate in political debate and governance via the use of Social media as well as print and broadcast media. There are many ways the government communicates with the public using social media, especially during elections where the voice and input of the public is required the most.

Access to information is essential to the health of democracy for at least two reasons. First, it ensures that citizens make responsible informed choices rather than acting out of ignorance or misinformation. Second, information serves a checking function by ensuring that elected representatives uphold their oaths of office and carry out the wishes of those elected them. In some societies, an antagonistic relationship between media and government represents a vital and healthy element of fully functioning democracies. In post-conflict or ethnically homogenous societies such conflictual, tension-ridden relationship may not be appropriate, but the role of the press to disseminate information as a way of mediating between the state and all faces of civil society remains critical.

Most notably, Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human rights states “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers”. While media is considered by USAID to be a part of the civil society arena, it is well known that media overlaps other functional areas of democracy and governance. For example, support for media may yield results in governance activities, particularly those related to decentralization, anti-corruption, and citizen participation in the policy process. The rule of law may be further institutionalized by support of an independent media that keeps a check on the judiciary, reports on the courts and promotes a legal enabling environment suitable for press freedom. Free and fair elections conducted through transparent processes require a media sector which gives candidates equal access, and reports the relevant issues in a timely, objective manner. If the media is to have any meaningful role in democracy, then the ultimate goal of media assistance should be to develop a range of diverse mediums and voices that are credible, and to create and strengthen a sector that promotes such outlets [Heywood 2013].

Credible outlets enable citizens to have access to information that they need to make informed decisions and to participate in society. A media sector supportive of democracy would be one that has a degree of editorial independence, is financially viable, has diverse and plural voices, and serves the public interest. The public interest is defined as representing a plurality of voices both through a greater number of outlets and through a greater number of outlets and through the diversity of views and voices reflected within one outlet. This therefore means that the public now relies on the media more heavily than before.

The media has traditionally been said to promote democracy in two key ways: by fostering public debate and political engagement, and by acting as a ‘public watchdog’ to check abuses of power. The capacity to provide a civic forum in which meaningful and serious political debate can take place is often viewed as the key democratic role of the media. The virtue of this is that better informed citizens with more independent and considered views will be more politically engaged. The media are therefore agents of political education. Indeed, the media may have largely replaced formal representative institutions, such as assemblies, parliaments and local councils, as arenas for the dialogue, debate and deliberation that are the very stuff of democratic politics. This has happened because the media are better suited to this role than are traditional representative bodies [Heywood 2013].

In addition to offering the public perhaps its only meaningful opportunity to watch politicians in action, the media provide a forum for the expression of a much wider range of viewpoints and opinions than is possible with in representative institutions composed only of elected politicians. Thus, academics and scientists, business leaders and trade union bosses, and representatives of interest groups and lobbyists of all kinds are able to express views and engage in public debate through the mechanism of media. Not only do the media substantially widen the range of views and opinions expressed in political debate, but they also present debate and discussion in a way that is lively and engaging for the general public, devoid of the formality, even stuffiness, that characterizes the exchanges that take place in assemblies and council chambers around the world [Heywood ]. This is also possible through the use of e-democracy, which refers to the use of computer-based technologies to enhance citizens engagement in democratic processes. This therefore reflects the rise of e-politics in creating an information or network society [Heywood 2013] Examples of e-democracy include the following:

• Online voting(e-voting) in elections or referendums.
• Online petitions (e-petitions) organized by government or other bodies.
• The use of ICT to publicize, organize, lobby or fundraise (e-campaigning).
• Accessing political information, news and comments via websites, blogs (web logs) and so on.
• The use of interactive television or social networking sites to allow citizens to engage in political debate and, possibly policy-making.
• The use of mobile phones and social media to organize popular protests and demonstrations. 

Although the internet has been used in campaigning since the mid-1900s, particularly in the USA, it became prominent during Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. Obama’s team used forums such as Facebook and MySpace to build relationships particularly with supporters and would-be supporters aged 18-29, also encouraging the spread of wider networks of support via the webside MyBarackObama.com [Heywood].

In conclusion, it is therefore seen that the internet is an improved tool for political participation and is seen to be the cause of the successes of various politicians. This essay has discussed how the role of new media maintains a democracy, by the implementation of online governance for citizens.      







      
Bibliography:
Center for Democracy and Governance. The Role of Media in a Democracy: A Strategic Approach. 2009. Can be accessed on: www.usaid.gov/sites/default/...200sbc.pdf [accessed on 15 September] Heywood A, 2013. The Palgrave Macmillan Politics, fourth edition.  Palgrave Macmillan New York.

Digital Divide, Has democracy had an impact?

South Africa is developing and is one of the technological advanced countries to a certain extent. In comparison to developed countries, South Africa is bound to have a digital divide among its citizens due to the fact that it is a developing country.

The developed world consists of developed countries with developed economies. According to Investopedia, a developed economy is referred to a country with a relatively high level of economic growth and security. Some of the most common criteria for evaluating a country’s degree of development are in per capita income or gross domestic product (GDP), level of industrialization, general standard of living and the amount of widespread infrastructure. Increasingly, other non-economic factors are included in evaluating an economy or country’s degree of development, such as the Human Development Index which reflects relative degrees of education, literacy and health.

Developing countries do not enjoy the same level of developed countries because they are still in the process of stabilizing the economy. Whilst these developments take place, there still lies an availability of services. However, in terms of the digital divide, the use of the internet has a major impact on the economy.

According to Cory Jansen, the term “digital divide” refers to the difference between people who have easy access to the internet and those who do not. In other words, there is a huge gap between those who have access and those who do not have access in many countries, the distinction can be made between developing and developed countries, examples being South Africa and the USA. There are various factors that create a digital divide, even though the use of the internet has had an enormous impact on the economy.

One of the factors of digital division is socio-economic. These are based on different social backgrounds, races, income and education also depending on where one is geographically situated in the world. Due to political systems in communist countries such as China, digital division is also at its peak because in communist states, the use of the internet is limited if not prohibited.

Democracy is defined by the oxford dictionary as
 1. A system of government in which all the people of a country can vote to elect their representatives;
2. Fair and equal treatment of everyone in an organization, etc, and their right to take part in making decisions.

South Africa, through democracy, the use of internet was to a certain extent. Freedom of expression was practiced through the media and the internet hence information was easily accessed to educate and drill knowledge into society.

In recent times, internet access has increasingly been seen as the primary advantage that many technologies can grant in that it represents a staggering store of knowledge and resources. South Africa, as a democratic country is unified socially, however, it is divided digitally. Reason being is that in some parts of South Africa’s rural communities, there is a lack of literacy, which is the biggest disadvantage of internet usage. There is also a problem of access to the internet through cases of poverty and the lowest rate of the use of modern technology.

In some places, there are insufficient masses that actually use the internet through their smartphones and in their workplace. In other words, for social and economic reasons, these people do not have access to computers or even relatively valuable information sources, reliable telephone services, let alone the wealth of information and convenience afforded to one via Internet services. Therefore, democracy has only impacted the digital divide to a certain extent if not the least, because it still exists after 20 years into democracy.

There were strategies that some technological companies implemented to overcome the divide. One of these companies was Huawei. Huawei bridged the digital divide in order to enhance communication and accessibility in rural regions. It has developed customized technology that adapts to difficult environmental conditions at a relatively lower cost of deployment and operation, thereby enabling service providers worldwide to bring the power of communication to rural areas more cost effectively.

Cellphones are seen to bridge the digital divide because seven out of ten South Africans are using their cellphones to log onto the internet. This is because it is portable and is preferred by many individuals. It is also because it is a powerful, affordable way of interaction and connectivity, instead of the high costs of internet usage on Pc’s and notebooks.

In conclusion, the digital divide has been defined and discussed with reference to other nations. It is therefore seen as a challenge that most developing countries experience. This also includes the expensiveness of technology and the use of the internet. Although bridging digital divide has been practiced by technological companies, it could be seen that the duration of solving the issue will be prolonged.

















Sources consulted:

Herselman M, Britton K.G (2002), South African Journal of Education: Analysing the Role of ICT and Bridging the Digital Divide Amongst Learners. Port Elizabeth Technikon (page 271).
This can be accessed on: www.ajol.info/index.php/saje/.../20567 [accessed 15 April 2014].

Digital divide definitions can be accessed on: www.technopedia.com/definition/605/digital-divide [accessed 15 April 2014].

Bridging digital divide can be accessed on: www.huawei.com/za/about-huawai/corporate-citizenship/bridging-digital-divide/index.htm [accessed on 14 April 2014]. The

International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies can be accessed on : m.com.sagepub.com/content/7/4/96.abstract [accessed 14 April 2014].

Mobile Wireless technology as a medium of interconnectedness

A network society may be defined as the formation in which all levels of society are structured in such a way as to enable their interconnectedness as a means of enhancing the production processing and dissemination of information. In a modern network society, individuals communicate through means of wireless mobile technology, and are seen to have the ability to spread the network society to the most remote places and the deepest pores of the world.

Castells states that it might be true that “wireless communication homogenizes space” because of the way it connects people independent from their location. Mackenzie writes “WI-FI connections, intermittent, unstable and uneven as they often are, act as a kind of patch or infill at the edges and gaps in telecommunications and network infrastructure."

In other words, this trend will play a role in further development of wireless internet access. We are now experiencing a competition between UMTS and WI-FI technologies in providing ubiquitous broadband data services. However, WI-FI and UTMS can be also found to complement each other. Wireless networks are faster, better and convenient to users. As long as your location connects properly within the network, connection and communication is therefore easier. There is a specific role that mobile networks play in the use of mobile technology in South Africa, as well as in all parts of the world.

Mobile networks are a form that enhances communication globally. Together with social networks, mobile networks help society “keep in touch” with other people as well as local and international trends. It has become convenient to communicate with people from all corners of the world with the use of new technologies that fall under mobile networks such as phone calls, video calling as well as SMS (short messaging service).

Network providers are, in definition, a company that provides backbone services to an Internet Service Provider(ISP), the company that most web users use for access to the internet. An ISP can purchase a wholesale dial access service from an NSP, which provides dial up connectivity for their customers. Customers then dial into their ISPs network using a local access number, which in turn connects to the backbone of that Internet Providers NSP.

The NSP routes all traffic and basically provides the infrastructure needed for internet connectivity. The NSP builds, maintains and expands their infrastructure as internet traffic demands.

The ISP is responsible for its own network, sales and marketing, and customer service. An ISP can also purchase other services from an NSP that they, in turn provide their customers such as email service, web-based email service, personal web hosting, chat, discussion groups and other end-user applications. All these services are provided under the ISP’s brand name rather than that of the NSP.  

Mobile Networks in South Africa vary. Cell c, Vodacom, Mtn, Virgin Mobile and Telkom are the network providers available in South Africa. People using these mobile networks have a specific cellphone number assigned to them in order for people to be able to reach others. The first three digits of the cellphone number determine which network provider one is using.

The first symptoms of the mobile networking technology that impact on a daily life are seen almost everywhere, especially in the countries where the mobile solutions have been integrated into economy, business, governance, and last but not least in a lifestyle. Every day we can see how the online world is being transformed into a universal digit marketplace and social communications agora, full of shopping malls, commercial content, chat forums and learning platforms.

Mobile technology, based on wireless solutions, offers us a possibility to be “always on,” to hear and to be heard regardless of the place where we are. Owing to the “always on” factor the mobile phones ensure a permanent linkage with the members of the community- one can be on the move, one’s friends or collaborators might be on the move as well, yet contacts have not been broken, and thereby our basic need for participation and affiliation is fulfilled.

Nowadays, people no longer have to travel miles to meet up with people, instead they can do it through the phone as well as electronically for example using Skype. Skype works in a video format, which functions on camera phones and other technological devices which are able to connect to the internet. People who communicate through Skype have the ability to see one another from different geographical parts of the world using wireless connectivity.

It is seen that mobile wireless technology is an interconnected tool of communication. Society is now able to socialize more effectively through the use of social media as well as the internet as a whole. This way, it is clear that society is spread throughout the most remote places and the deepest pores of the world, due to new technological innovations and wireless connectivity. It is therefore a privilege for the youth to be able to keep up with their surroundings and follow current affairs in which ever country they want to.

In conclusion, South Africa as a society is a rather unified one, and throughout the years to follow, networking will be the only means of communication, people will prefer to be tapping their screens than going out for lunch and drinks with their circle of friends. Life will be about wireless mobile networking day in, day out.      

http://emperors.kucjica.org/spatial-theory-from-network-society-to-net-locality/







Bibliography:

searchnetworking.techtarget.com/definition/network-service-provider

robertoigarza.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/art-mobile-network-society-and-culture-muraszkiewicz-2004.pdf

Http://emperors.kucjica.org/spatial-theory-from-network-society-to-net-locality/

Social Media, a driving force of interconnectedness individually and socially.

It is quiet a debatable phenomenon that the use of social media has either a negative or positive impact on individuals and society as a whole. I will therefore discuss the positive impact of social media and slightly mention the dangers of it all to balance my argument. The types of social media and the different ways social media and the internet can be used will also be included in this context.  

Social media are Internet sites where people have the platform to interact freely by sharing and discussing information, pictures, audio and videos through a multimedia mix.   Examples of social media can be Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, instagram and various others. At these websites, individuals & groups create, exchange content and engage in person-to-person conversations. Social networks have become a dominant medium for networking and communication on a global scale. It is a place where people meet and become acquaintances in most cases, and relationships are built. People become socially integrated just by the use of their gadgets, smartphones and other internet connected devices.  

Since the Internet took off in 1995 and email communication between colleagues, companies as well as clients emerged, social networks were also established on a basis of instant messaging. They appear in many forms including blogs and microblogs, tagging and news, forums and message boards, social networks and collective intelligents and many other forms.   Social media has a positive impact, as well as its dangers at the same time, which may result in a negative light.

In a positive light, there are many benefits one can consider, such as prominence, where celebrities and other popular figures make news and appear on live feeds of social media. Those type of figures end up with hundred of followers on social networks and therefore get to express  their views and actions to hundreds of people.  

In terms of timeliness,people are able to access information as soon as it is published such as the news, sports highlights as well as weather updates to go through the day. Not only do they get such access, they are also able to post about their views on politics and other issues up for debate through hash tags on Twitter, and wall posts on Facebook.

Through social media, the role of news sites and other forms of media use the hyperdermic needle theory in order to achieve a strong effect on the behaviour, thinking and attitudes of media users. Therefore, the information published through media is not only informative, but to get people to think in a certain way and respond in a certain way. An example can be the Oscar Pistorious trial updates on social networks as well as on print and television media.  

Politically, what is posted by politicians has an impact on society as a whole on how they can view political issues in South Africa as well as the way forward. A lot of information is posted to keep citizens updated. Plus, one needs internet access to enjoy such luxuries, which is a cheaper and faster way to stay updated.  

On a business perspective, according to W. Glynn Mangolda  and David J. Faulds, "The emergence of Internet-based social media has made it possible for one person to communicate with hundreds or even thousands of other people about products and the companies that provide them. Thus, the impact of consumer-to-consumer communications has been greatly magnified in the marketplace."
This article argues that social media is a hybrid element of the promotion mix because in a traditional sense it enables companies to talk to their customers, while in a nontraditional sense it enables customers to talk directly to one another.   The content, timing, and frequency of the social media-based conversations occurring between consumers are outside managers’ direct control.

This stands in contrast to the traditional integrated marketing communications paradigm whereby a high degree of control is present. Therefore, managers must learn to shape consumer discussions in a manner that is consistent with the organization's mission and performance goals. Methods by which this can be accomplished are delineated herein. They include providing consumers with networking platforms, and using blogs, social media tools, and promotional tools to engage customers.

On an educational perspective, one could confirm that social media and the Internet in general is an easier and faster way to access and select the type of information that is required at that same time.  For example, the scarcity of books in a library will not mean that one will not be able to obtain information, in most cases, books are available electronically, one can either search and use it online, or get it from a friend in a space of seconds via social media. This therefore means that it saves time and money, instead of travelling from library to library. However, the use of social media on an educational basis does not make information reliable, it is thefore the students responsibility to make sure that their information is credible, reliable and clear by using various sources of reference.  

Are we more isolated or connected as a society? The answer is both. For example, in a class of students, majority of them are on social media. However, if one is constantly on their phone in the presence of other people, he is therefore isolated because his focus is not with the people he is with, but with people on the other side of the country or even the world. And when society is connected, it is therefore achieved collectively on a global scale, that people communicate with one another at the same time.

In conclusion, it is seen that social media is a form of intergration and can define societies interconnectedness on a national, international and global scale. These days, society is now dependant on the use of these social networks as a medium of communication because its effect not only on their knowledge, but also for their social well being. By the rate that this is going, people might not need to be physically present anymore, because the world is becoming more and more technologically advanced. This means that the feeling of presence will be created just by the use of internet devices.  





References: Fourie P.J (2007) Media Studies Media History, Media and society 2nd ed. Cape Town, South Africa. JUTA W.
Glynn Mangolda , David J. Faulds b,(July–August 2009) Business Horizons, Social media: The new hybrid element of the promotion mix. Volume 52, Issue 4. Pages 357–365. An abstract can be accessed on:
http://www.corporatewatch.org/?lid=4433
history of social media can be accessed on:
http://www2.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/SocialMedia/SocialMediaHistory.html