Given the unique characteristics of the New Media, the technology offers real opportunities for democratization and political transformation, especially in societies where the basic rights of freedom of expression and the press are constricted by state control. This paper seeks to challenge this main assumption by examining the impact of the Internet along with the politics surrounding its use
in Asia, with specific attention to the cases of China and Singapore. This paper postulates that in the cases of certain authoritarian regimes such as China and Singapore, not only has the presence and use of the Internet failed to spawn strong opposition movements, but authorities in these states have cleverly entered the domain of online expression and have utilized the technology to improve governance and control of these societies.
Can New Media be a better tool for Governance?
96 Views
37 Downloads
Published 2012-01-30
Pages 25-29
Abstract
References
- • Abbott, Jason P. “Democracy@internet.asia? The challenges to the emancipatory potential of the net: lessons from China and Malaysia.” Third World Quarterly 22 2009: 99-114.
- • Baber, Zaheer. Ed. Cyber Asia: The Internet and Society in Asia. Leiden: Koninklijke Brill NV, 2005.
- • Cukier, Kenneth Neil. “Who Will Control the Internet?” Foreign Affairs November/ December 2005: 74-89.
- • Diamond, Larry. Developing Democracy toward Consolidation. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.
- • Dickie, Mure. “China Learns to Click Carefully.” Financial Times. 13 Nov. 2007. 21 Nov. 2007
- • Gilley, Bruce. China’s Democratic Future: How it will happen and where it will Lead. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004.
- • Gomez, James. Internet Politics: Surveillance and Intimidation in Singapore. Singapore: Think Centre, 2002.
- • Hachigian, Nina. “Telecom Taxonomy: How are the One Party States of East Asia Controlling the Political Impact of the Internet?” The University Press Bochum, 2002.
- • Hoff, Jens. Internet, Governance and Democracy: Democratic Transitions from Asian and European Perspective. Copenhagen: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Press, 2006
- • Mass Media and Political Communication in New Democracies. Ed. Katrin Volt mer. New York: Routledge, 2006.
- • Wong, Bobson. “The Tug-of-War for Control of China’s Internet.” China Rights Forum 33 2004: 1-3.
✓ Citation copied to clipboard