Determining Whether ICT Improves Social Interactions

Previous innovations, such as telephones allowed individuals to communicate on a one-to-one basis, or for powerful, central institutions to speak one-way to the masses (Burrows, 2000). New technologies such as the Internet are revolutionizing communications as a positive force, improving the efficiency and accountability of local government, and strengthening communities. This requires a vision in order to be able to actively use technology rather than passively reacting to change. Any advancement which is able to significantly empower people, also threatens to entrench the division between haves and have-nots—both as organizations and as individuals (Burrows, 2000). In the current climate, local government agencies are beginning to use these new technologies to open up the process of communication between governments and the citizens.