The Impact of Internet on ways in which Citizens Participate on Political and Social Systems Essay Example for Free

The Impact of Internet on ways in which Citizens Participate on Political and Social Systems Essay In every single day, the internet expands by the social, political, and economic activities of people all over the world; consequently its impact on the participation of citizens grows exponentially. Internet has disregarded geographical distances and separations in this new world, as borders no longer have great impact on limiting people’s activities. People are encouraged to participate and contribute on different aspects which have drawn different experiences and pooled resources together. Actions and reactions have become instantaneous in cyberspace and this has made internet to be more gratifying and attractive. The resultant effect is that internet has impacted our society in almost all areas of human endeavour. The problem is that the impact has been both positive and negative and as such, caution has been advocated as a means in which citizens should approach the internet. An internet safety plan is thus required in which shall protect children and security in e-businesses has to be more guaranteed (Kedem 1999). Impact of internet on the political systems We will analyse this impact by first posing a query whether internet has any effect, whether positive or negative on the amount of political participation and the extent it contributes to the generation of a more participative society. Authors had initially suggested that a reduction in levels of political participation could be expected as a result of the use of the internet. They reasoned out that internet brings with it atomisation and a weakening of social cohesion, which can also take up a large part of people’s free time (Davis 1999). According to Meinardus (2003) the new technology back in 1990s created an internet-euphoria. It was assumed that the digital technology would lead mankind to a better world creating more chances for mass participation in the political and economic market place. These euphoric assessments have given way to more cautious appraisals, as more and more people become conscious of the potential dangers of the technological advancement. Internet has been used by politicians in order to win some scores on different activities and events. In South Korea, students of digital politics admire what one reporter termed as the most advanced online democracy on the planet. They called it â€Å"webocracy† which became apparent to a wider international audience during a presidential election. The election was won by a politician who no longer relied primarily on the traditional mass rallies, but exploited the possibilities of the internet and other modern communication devices, systematically. The politician succeeded in mobilizing millions of mainly young supporters, who logged onto his website to donate money and receive political updates. He received messages that contained policy recommendations which the candidate promised to consider seriously in his decision making (Meinardus 2003). Cyberspace campaigning has become very prevalent. It is with no doubt that new technology has opened the door to new forms of grass-roots participation. There is every indication that on-line politics are changing the traditional power structures. Internet has therefore made political process more transparent, more communicative, more participatory and hence more democratic. Internet use has increased democracy level, e-mails with political content have been sent in order to try to influence government decisions through comments posted on websites (Tab Working Report 2005). The ability to face the costs of political participation is a determining factor in the decision whether or not to participate. The impact of internet on political system depends on the availability of resources. The members of a nation with little time, money or other resources might not participate in the use of the internet in sharing their views and comments as the cost of participation is very high for them. The low cost of accessing internet has on the other hand fuelled the impact of the internet on political systems. Internet allows almost unlimited, fast, and cheap access to political information which can not be easily obtained by other means. People thus have resulted top use of the internet to obtain information which has enabled them participate even the more in political debates, and policies which are about to be implemented (Milner 2002). In deed a Tab Working Report (2005) argues that internet is currently being widely used for communication between political and the public, and routines have developed at various points. There has been an increase in activities for e-participation and online discussion at the international level. There is also a programmatic consensus that the internet can play an important role in strengthening representative democracy Limitations Internet enables access to political information that make people participate more in political systems. The access of information does not mean that one obtains the capacity to process and interpret that information which is required to make the information knowledge that can be beneficial to the individual and in which one can make rational decisions. Internet might contain a sea of information but that does not guarantee the quality of such information which might be interpreted wrongly. This may lead to consequences that would have negative impact on the individual if not on the whole society (Polat 2005). The use of internet has created international havoc as countries around the world struggle to develop laws that will permit geographical regulation of a borderless medium. The internet is thought to offer unlimited free speech which can be detrimental and in most cases when the free speech is abused by politicians, the effects are adverse. Censorship is nevertheless increasing as countries develop tools for limiting content that is available to its citizens Another limitation on the impact created by the internet on the citizen in participating to the political system is the struggle needed to obtain the information from the internet. It requires an initiative by the user to access it. Most information from the internet will mean that the user has to subscribe for it. There are other attractive websites which are social sites that would easily distract the user from obtaining the required political information (Davis 1999). Impact of internet on social system It is a matter of fact that easy access to the internet, which includes the availability of personal computers with rather cheap prices, introduction of rather reliable internet services and establishment of internet cafes has changed the nature of people’s connection to each other in their social field. Physical proximity is no longer an essential in communicating to one another face to face. This has made it easy for rapid connections across long distances and people are now in a position to write electronic mails that are transmitted virtually immediately throughout the globe (Eskicumali 2010). Eskicumali (2010, p. 1) argues that many aspects of the lives of people, especially the young people have been changed by the internet. The basic nature of their relationships with one another has been greatly influenced by the internet. This is due to the reason that there has been a global diffusion of information and communication technologies that has expanded the domain of â€Å"absent presence† which in turn has resulted to an erosion of face to face community centred relationships. The internet has created new type of social relations and virtual communities that has not been formed ever since. Theses virtual communities are social network of individuals who interact through specific media, and potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries, so as to pursue mutual goals and interests. The internet has also impacted the social system in form of communication. There is diversity in the internet-mediated communication which is displayed in different sectors such as politics, art, family, and mass media among others. It has become the bearer of different kinds of communication. This is due to several features of internet’s technical and textual structure which has promised to have a crucial impact on communication. According to Fushs (2008, p. 2) internet is here to stay, it has changed the life of many of us and transformed the lives of our society. It is ubiquitous in everyday life, and it is here that we search for information, plan trips, read newspapers and articles, communicate with each other by chatting, using emails, video conferencing, listen to music and radio, watch videos and other activities. It is in the internet that we have learnt to know other people, develop intimate relationships; maintain contact with one another, access government sites, share ideas and create knowledge together with others. Disadvantages of Internet Use on the Social System It is evident that from the roles that internet play, computerized network technologies change all areas of society. It poses challenges and opportunities in a networked globalizing world. One of the great disadvantage that internet has on the social is that no one can claim ownership of the internet. As such any body can post anything which has made it the home of political propaganda, racism, pornography and other controversial and illegal material. Internet has brought with it internet crime. These crimes include the interception of the details of customers’ credit cards and online transactions, hacking into personal, private files with criminal intent, fraudulent web sites taking credit card details from the customers, and the spreading of viruses through the internet. This has made it necessary for steps to be undertaken so as to reassure the general public that the internet is safe. The methods might reduce majority of the cyber crimes, but they do little to net down the risk, that people find themselves in when using internet (Fushs 2008). Conclusion With scores of people all over the world resulting to the use of internet to carry out various roles and responsibilities, the impact on the political and social system has been amplified. The social network service providers have increased their subscribers, which have provided information that has impacted the social system. Internet has thus enabled people to participate more, on global and national politics since they have been empowered by the easy availability of information. Networking has improved and this has initiated an embrace of diversity in race, religion, and culture.

Politics Paper :: essays research papers

One of the first things we have learned about politics this semester is that there is a constant struggle over the true definition, especially in how broad or narrow the definition is. When Thomas Jefferson wrote that â€Å"Politics are such torment that I would advise everyone I love not to mix with them.† it is understood that he is referring to the electoral and governmental aspects of politics. If Dr. Michael Rivage-Seul and Leslie Cagan were to read this quote, they would argue that Jefferson has an extremely narrow view of politics and that if one were to desire a more accurate definition, they would have to look further than the restrictive culturally accepted definition. Martin Luther King, Jr. would also disagree with this definition but he I think he would have a bigger problem with the advice that Jefferson is giving. All three of the authors that we have looked at would, in one way or another, be forced to disagree with Jefferson based on the principles that they try to uphold and emphasize in their writings and speeches.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Dr. Michael Rivage-Seul, we are living in a world full of deceit and human frailty. He stresses this particular point in his essay â€Å"Taking Risks in Plato‘s Cave† which helps to illustrate that not everything we know to be true is actually true. He also believes that, just as in the parable, we have an obligation to ourselves to look at all aspects and trey to understand all observed viewpoints. His words enforce this belief when he says â€Å"We can’t begin our escape from ignorance without the intervention of an outsider, without listening to others.† (Rivage-Seul, 6). In his teachings, Rivage-Seul tries to highlight the importance of thinking for ourselves and always being weary of a socially accepted truth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If Leslie Cagan, author of the essay â€Å"What is Politics?† was asked to comment on Jeffersons’ quote, I would imagine that she would probably scorn him for his narrow minded view of politics. I am also led to believe that she would say that Jefferson was no more politically aware than the rest of the general public because of the common ignorant definition they share. Cagan would argue that politics has to do with just about everything in the world and he stresses the complexity and immeasurable depth in the word when he says â€Å"How we understand (and therefore act out of that understanding) â€Å"politics† and â€Å"political struggle† is no small matter.

The Tempest as a Power Struggle Between the New and the Old World

To what extent do you agree that The Tempest is a power struggle between the old and the new world? Shakespeare’s Plays II Assignment 1 Rocio Corral Garcia 119042576 It is generally accepted that Shakespeare’s Play The Tempest is complex in many senses, but it cannot be denied that it is especially rich in terms of interpretation. A huge variety of critical analyses have been written about Shakespeare’s last play suggesting different possible approaches to it, such as human salvation, magic, colonisation and power.This essay will focus on the struggle between the old and the new world, which is one of the major themes in this play and that can be easily applied to politics and conspiracy in their more broad sense. Prospero is a European who dominates the island on his own and he is able to do so because he has magic powers. In this way he controls the island and its inhabitants by combining threats of force, promises of freedom and all kind of techniques characte ristic of a proper dictator. He takes charge of the island which does not belong to him and exerts his power over the inhabitants, forcing them to serve him as slaves.It is almost impossible to draw a parallelism between this situation and the European colonial power in North America during the XVII century. Thus, it may be assumed that the old world stands for Europe and all its common practices and customs while the new world is represented by the uncivilised island. Throughout the whole play the reader is able to find several occasions in which the struggle between the new and the old world is very noticeable. In the first scene of the play, for example, we find the exchange between Prospero and Miranda talking about what has been left in the old world: dukedom and serving women.For them, living in the island means abandoning all these things and implementing facets of the new world. Miranda has been educated by her father following the old world rules but at the same time she ha s learned the secrets of the island by Caliban. Caliban is a native of the island who rails against language and is forced to submit. He reveals against all those things related to the old world, since he belongs to the new one. This fighting is constant along the play. Then, on the second act Shakespeare presents the difference between the new and the old world in terms of appearance.That is to say, the green and the light of the new world contrast with the European world. The new world is wild and uncivilised. Gonzalo has his own dream which is labelled as a utopian view of the island. He portrays it without order and hierarchy. In his new world there would not be chaos because everyone will be happy: I' the commonwealth I would by contraries Execute all things; for no kind of traffic Would I admit; no name of magistrate; Letters should not be known; riches, poverty, And use of service, none; contract, succession, Bourn, bound of land, tilth, vineyard, none; No use of metal, corn, or wine, or oil;No occupation; all men idle, all; And women too, but innocent and pure; No sovereignty; The reader may acknowledge this as the internal fight men had in this era. Following this scene we find the metaphor of the drunken servant men that come to the island and they imagine that they are able to rule it, thinking that they will secure the loyalty of a native through gifts and the promise of benevolent ruling. This metaphor is made on the basis of a strong parallelism with the real accounts of the colonisation. So, there cannot be any reading of The Tempest without considering it as a study of colonialism.During the colonisation the struggle between the colonizers and the colonized world was a constant feature, so this view support the idea that The Tempest is a clear example of the struggle between the old and the new world. The English colonial project is on Shakespeare’s mind throughout the play, as almost every character, from Gonzalo to Stephano, imagines h ow he would rule the island if he were its king. Shakespeare seems as well to be influenced by Montagne’s essay â€Å"Of the Cannibals† since the name of Prospero’s servant is Caliban could be an anagram of â€Å"cannibal†.Prospero stands for the dominant part in his relationship with Caliban and his allusions to him are most the time is contemptuous. Prospero describes Caliban as: â€Å"Devil, a born devil on whose nature, Nurture can never stick† This description of Caliban is quite similar to those descriptions of the â€Å"savages† by Captain John Smith who set the first English settlement in Jamestown, or to those descriptions given by Mary Rowlandson later in the XVII century.These descriptions fit perfectly with Prospero’s concept of Caliban, so maybe Shakespeare’s intention here is to make a direct link between the current accounts of the colonisation process and the situation of the play. Again, this makes a clear inst ance that the play wants to portray the confrontation between the old and the new world. This clear struggle in the play between the new and the old world may be emphasized by political themes associated with Caliban’s conspiracy and Prospero’s colonialist control of the island. This essay will focus now on the political issue of the play.On the one hand, it may be clear that usurpation is the main political theme pervading the play. The possibility of usurpation is precisely what allows Prospero to legitimise and sustain his totalitarism on the island. Paradoxically, he was first usurped from his throne and it is him who repeats that behaviour in the island. Prospero’s power is proved by Caliban’s resistance. Caliban stands for the main dissident voice in the play. His threatening integration of Prospero’s rhetoric makes him a dangerous insider to the established system: â€Å"You taught me language, and my profit on ’tIs I know how to cur se. The red plague rid you For learning me your language! † Caliban’s use of language illustrates perfectly the potential to resistance contained within power. , and Prospero’s response to Caliban consists in violent outbursts of rage: â€Å"Hag-seed, hence! Fetch us in fuel. And be quick, thou ‘rt best, To answer other business. Shrug’st thou, malice? If thou neglect’st or dost unwillingly What I command, I’ll rack thee with old cramps, Fill all thy bones with aches, make thee roar That beasts shall tremble at thy din. Prospero’s violence hardly hides his terror at Caliban’s appropriation of his language. On the other hand, the play deals perfectly with the topic of conspiracy, being Caliban its maximum exponent. Caliban resists to Prospero’s authority, but this authority may be called into question, since Prospero gets it by means of usurpation. Anyway, Caliban’s role is essential in terms of resistance; h owever, by depriving Prospero by his unique discourse, he represents the existence of alternative voices in the island.He exposes three different versions of the past in the island: Caliban’s, Ariel’s and Prospero’s, although it is the latest the one who succeed. Prospero appropriates the past of the island, and he rewrites history according to his own standards, in order to construct a credible narrative. Caliban shows his resistance: â€Å"This island’s mine, by Sycorax my mother, Which thou takest from me† Prospero manages to make his version the one to be trusted. He describes Sycorax as the malevolent witch, a chaos and evil, which contrasts with him, the balance.This is another actual clue that asserts the play as the struggle between the new and the old world. Prospero assures that it was Sycorax who imprisoned Ariel and it was him who released Ariel. It seems that Sycorax is dead, since she does not appear on stage, but her presence lurks o minously in the background. Despite her physical absence from the play Sycorax has great importance. In the politics of the play she serves an ideological function as she is constructed as the evil witch, the ‘other', through which Prospero's ownership of the island is legitimised.She is constructed as being the antithesis to Prospero – female, non-European and evil – and Prospero uses her to justify his acts of dispossession. Prospero shapes the past on his own way. However, the presence of other rivals frightens Prospero, and his anxiety increases as it is shown with his irrational outburst of anger at Caliban’s command of language. Besides, in the island there are different ideological ways of thinking, such as Gonzalo’s political manifesto mentioned above â€Å"No sovereignty† (2. 1, 156). Indeed, Gonzalo’s utopia is likely to the real hierarchy in the island, ince there is a king but without sovereignty. Another aspect of the play that may be related to politics is the marriage between Miranda and Ferinand, since it serves as an agreement between the old world, here represented by Ferinand, and the new world, embodied by Miranda. In this way the marriage stands as a peace treaty between both worlds. It might represent a political marriage, which were very common during the Elizabethan period. The reader may find another political marriage in the play, since in Act II Alonso’s daughter marries the king of Tunis against her wishes.But this is not the case of Miranda, since she falls in love to Ferinand at the first glance. However, this marriage is a sort of business because Miranda is a political tool in Prospero’s plan. Besides, it is very interesting that Miranda is the only female character on an island full of men. She makes possible the reconciliation and redemption of both, Prospero and Alonso. The most important value of Miranda is her chastity which enables the marriage. Virginity is a m atter of politics in the play, since with Miranda being not pure the marriage would not be possible.But Prospero makes sure that her daughter is virgin and emphasizes Miranda’s purity linking her to her mother: Thy mother was a piece of virtue, and She said thou wast my daughter; and thy father Was Duke of Milan, and his only heir And princess no worse issued. Finally, it may be concluded that The Tempest presents different instances of the struggle between the old and the new world, and that Shakespeare draws a strong parallelism with the issue of colonisation and the plot of the play. It might be also acknowledged that there is a final reconciliation between both worlds which is sealed by Miranda and Ferinand’s marriage.Although this play was composed in the XVII century, there are several timeless topics that Shakespeare portrays like political usurpation, conspiracy and struggle for power, that occupy a first place in present day life. Bibliography Primary texts: S hakespeare, William. The Riverside Shakespeare, ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1974 Secondary texts: Free Tempest Essays: â€Å"Relevance of The Tempest Today† Retrieved February 26, 2012 from: http://www. 123HelpMe. com/view. asp? id=7486 Gibson, Rex. The Tempest. Cambridge Student Guides. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,2006.Hamilton, Donna B. Virgil and The Tempest: The Politics of Imitation . Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1990. Montaigne, Michael de, The Complete Essays. London: Penguin,2003. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Gonzalo’s speech. (2. 1,123-32) [ 2 ]. Montagne, Michael de. The Complete Essays. Trans. M. A. Screech. London: Penguin, 2003 [ 3 ]. Prospero’s description of Caliban (4. 1,188-9) [ 4 ]. Caliban’s speech (1. 2,369-70) [ 5 ]. Prospero’s speech (1. 2,371-76) [ 6 ]. Caliban’s words (1. 2,334. 5) [ 7 ]. Prospero’s speech (1. 2,56-59)

Tolerance As Defined By Merriam Webster - 1248 Words

On Tolerance Tolerance, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is willingness to accept feelings, habits, or beliefs that are different from your own. Tolerance is something one must work at to maintain for acceptance of others is not inherent to human nature or at least it does not seem to be, for the most part. It is, however, human nature to see anyone unfamiliar and different as â€Å"other†. Due to human nature, I am rarely, if ever, surprised by some of the remarks I come across in my daily life, especially from my peers. Occasionally, though, I am very disappointed and surprised by people I respect. My father, on a clear winter morning, devastated my pure view of his wisdom with a singular comment. He said, â€Å"The mess these black people in Detroit are in is what they deserve. All of them are hooligans and hood rats. There is no way to save Detroit with so many black people there.† All I could do was nod my head and stay silent while inside all I felt was shock. I had never heard my father make a comment so prejudiced before and had believed him to be a tolerant man of all groups of people. He had grown up in Detroit, gone into the navy and seen the world through it, had received a college education, and worked at a steady job where he met all sorts of different people. Through knowing this, I had thought him to be the picture of a tolerant American who knew differences existed but accepted them. In my mind, my view of tolerance had changed in that moment because of hisShow MoreRelatedGod and Evil1273 Words   |  6 Pagesthe existence of evil and if evil exists can God exist and if so can this God still be declared perfect? The epistemological issue that arises is One’s knowledge of God and the validity of God’s existence. What is good and what is evil? 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