Digital democracy comes of age

IT is playing an important role in the evolution of the political process. There is more information available today than ever before, but how will people make use of it in the political arena? Do people know where to access it and how to use and manage it?

These are the questions and issues that the BCS is raising with its Savvy Citizens campaign, and sought to answer at a recent roundtable debate about how the internet and social media will affect the outcome of the general election.

Panelists included Jag Singh, former adviser to US secretary of state Hillary Clinton; Paul Staines, author of the Guido Fawkes blog; Mark Thompson, author of the Mark Reckons blog and Labour’s Derek Wyatt, the first MP to have his own iPhone app.

The internet and social media have sped up the political process. During the debate, Derek Wyatt MP said that constituents now expect near instantaneous responses to emails and messages they send electronically. He said that his iPhone application has also put him in touch with constituents he has previously never spoken with. Social media and the internet are changing the face of politics.

The panel agreed that, while sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube would play a role in the election, it will be the televised debates that will have the most impact and reach the widest audience of potential voters. But it was acknowledged that no political campaign could be effective without email, especially to mobilise party activists.

Information ought to be the lifeblood of a free and fair society and the basis of rational political debate. The BCS believes that the volume and value of information about the economy, politics and government available to citizens has never been greater. Citizens should now harness the power of the internet, apps and mashups to access and scrutinise the information that is out there before they make their minds up about who forms the next government.

To help the public get started, the BCS has launched a Savvy Citizen’s guide to using the internet to make more informed decisions, which can be viewed in full here.

Elizabeth Sparrow is the BCS president