A Controversial, Technological World

In my last entry I chose to search through Yahoo! because in searches based on relevance. Since I needed to find information on the topic I thought this would be the best way to go. This time around I wanted to find more opinions and controversy surrounding the topic of e-government. To do this I chose Google because I wanted to see the most popular and most linked sites. I wanted to read what most people are reading to find and give information on this topic. The main search phrases I used were “e-government controversy,” e-government and campaigning,” and finally “e-government controversy U.S.”

The first site I found that helped me was… http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/ericjsinrod/2004-06-30-sinrod_x.htm, titled: “The Pros and Cons of e-Government” by Eric J. Sinrod

The article is of course funded by USA Today, an objective news organization. The article isn’t exactly current (June 2004) but I thought it was published at an interesting time. It was written as America was approaching the 2004 presidential election and technology was beginning to play a large roll in politics. The pros that Sinrod discusses are basically easier access to the government’s plans and actions. Citizens can begin to play a greater roll in government, almost to a real-time interaction level. This can prove as a great asset to the American population in order to serve the very essence of a democracy. But Sinrod warns that in order to maintain a true democracy, we cannot forget those that do not have access to the internet or are not tech savvy. Sinrod backs this up by showing the numbers of citizens with access to the internet as well as a table of the medium of which Americans interact with the government (e-mail, phone, letters, etc.). I think this article gives an effective overview of the subject but I wish he would have discussed the government’s point on the matter. Basically, the government’s plan to make sure they include everyone in this technological world. I could probably find this information at a government web site.

The second site was…
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?STORY_ID=10638105
“The Good, the Bad, and the Inevitable” an article in the Economist

This article was written in February 2008 and is of course funded by the Economist. This article took the business perspective of the pros and cons of e-government in America. One point that I found particularly interesting in this article is how e-government essentially turn bureaucracy inside out. It is kind of like how corporations use electronic customer services to sort out the customer’s point of view and create a better product. This allows power to switch from the hands of bureaucrats to consumers. This is what e-government could do for American citizens; basically expose the government’s inner workings to the people. The cons however the Economist claim are mainly; the government has spent too much money on e-government and hasn’t produced a good product. It’s about quantity not quality. Another interesting point is the comparison to Orwell’s 1984.If eventually e-government becomes almost exclusive in how citizens deal with the government and public services, then the government begins to control the citizen, not vise versa. This is a frightening notion and certainly one to consider as this system is being developed. I found this article brought me a fresh and well thought-out perspective on the subject. Again however, I would like to read the government’s side and how, if they have considered it, they plan to avoid this 1984 destiny.