Democracy and the information age: opportunities and risks
From Wikiprogress.org
Democracy and the "information age": opportunities and risks
Information plays a vital role in economic and political processes. The increase in available information, coupled with advancements in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has changed the ways in which markets and societies work. The Internet and other media, as well initiatives aimed at building information repositories through the collaboration of individuals, such as wikis and blogs, make more information available to more people than ever before. Therefore, the ideal of a “fully informed decision maker” is far from the case: although citizens are constantly bombarded by information, this information is not necessarily translated into knowledge.
On the contrary, more and more people are overwhelmed and confused by the amount of information available. “...in an information-rich world, the wealth of information means a dearth of something else: a scarcity of whatever it is that information consumes. What information consumes is rather obvious: it consumes the attention of its recipients. Hence, a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention and a need to allocate that attention efficiently among the overabundance of information sources that might consume it” (Herbert Simon).
Many people are unable to fully understand ongoing debates about public policies and feel threatened by the complexity of global issues and the polarity of ‘evidence’ used by those on different sides of the debate (climate change, migration, economic globalisation, etc.). The development of Internet has shown drawbacks: the dissemination of false information, manipulation of public opinion through propaganda, and confusion about what is accurate and what is poorly measured are all too common. Gathering information has never been easier. Selecting the “right” information and turning it into knowledge has become harder than ever.
High quality statistical data is generally recognised as a “public good” and a life-blood of democracy: As Geoff Mulgan (former advisor to Tony Blair) said, “Few things are as vital to democracy, and as problematic, as access to reliable knowledge and information. Without it there is no way for citizens to judge whether their rulers are competent or incompetent, lucky or unlucky, honest or dishonest. Well-being depends on being well-informed”. But disinformation spreads rapidly. Data based on shaky methodology is often quoted in public debate as “fact” and correct information can be misinterpreted (so called “mutant statistics”). In those countries in which surveys have been undertaken, it is clear that a large percentage of the population does not know the key economic and social facts that underpin their country.
Measuring Progress Webcast - Geoff Mulgan speech
At the same time, citizens are increasingly concerned with their quality of life. A consensus is growing around the need to develop a more comprehensive view of progress – one that takes into account social, environmental and economic concerns - rather than focusing mainly on economic indicators like Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which, while an important measure of economic activity, was not developed to be the sole measure of a nation’s progress. There is also a broad recognition that the development of cross-cutting, high quality shared, accessible information about how a society is doing is crucial to ensure that decision-making is simultaneously responsive and responsible at all levels (policy makers, businesses, citizens, etc.).
This is a key issue for democracy. The better an electorate is able to hold its policy makers accountable through evidence of their performance, the greater the incentive for policy makers to make better policy. And, as David M Walker, the US Comptroller General has noted, evidence – embodied in smarter indicators of progress, could help society to achieve more relevant goals with fewer resources. In conclusion, without a shared understanding of reality, fruitful democratic debate is almost impossible.
See also
Well-being in the information society
The Global Project on Measuring the Progress of Societies
