IMAT1610 - Global Report: The Web's Transformative Role in Politics

This report examines the impact of web technology on politics, discussing both its positive and negative aspects. It begins by introducing the concepts of politics and technology and highlights the significance of web technology for political machinery, including its use by politicians to reach a wider audience. The report details how web technology has transformed elections, international relations, and political campaigning. It also addresses the negative aspects, such as the potential for politicians to misuse web platforms for unethical purposes, including creating fake images to gain power. The report concludes that while there are downsides, the benefits of using web technology in politics outweigh the disadvantages.

Running head: POLITICS AND TECHNOLOGY
Politics and Technology
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Executive Summary
This report will discuss about the recent technology of web and its impact on the
machinery of politics. The report will begin by introducing the two concepts and the
significance of the use of the technology of web for the machinery of politics and how
the politicians can utilize this particular tool to reach out to a larger number of people.
Finally, the report will conclude by enumerating the negative aspects of the use of
the technology of web in the machinery of politics.

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Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................3
Politics and technology: Positive Aspects....................................................................3
Politics and Technology: Negative Aspects.................................................................5
Conclusion....................................................................................................................6
References...................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
In the opinion of Woody Allen, “Technology has made us Gods even before
we deserve to call ourselves human beings”. These lines speak volume about the
way technology has transformed the lives of the individuals in the present times. The
“recent developments in the fields of technology as well as innovation have changed
not only the business world” but also the other sectors which are not a part of the
business world (Hirst, Harrison and Mazepa 2014). It is a reflection of this that the
various platforms of technology or more specially the web has become an important
part of the day-to day activities of the various individuals (Hirst, Harrison and Mazepa
2014). In the opinion of many people the various present day technologies as well as
innovations have greatly simplified the lives of millions of human beings in the
present times (Ausserhofer and Maireder 2013). Furthermore, within a very short
time they have wielded a considerable influence not only on the business world but
also on the other aspects of life politics, entertainment, sports and others
(Ausserhofer and Maireder 2013). This report will discuss the impact of the web on
the genre of politics.
Politics and technology: Positive Aspects
Politics have been a part of the human society since the ancient times and it
would be apt to say that the machinery of politics has also played a very vital part in
the various affairs of the human beings. However, in the recent times the machinery
of politics has undergone much transformation due to the “recent changes as well as
the developments in the fields of technology and innovation” (Ausserhofer and
Maireder 2013). It is a reflection of this that the various platforms of technology are
now being increasingly used in the various aspects of politics. Thus, in the present

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times it is seen that the various politicians as well as the political parties use the
technological platforms of web not only to reach out to a larger number of people but
also to serve the people and their interests in the most effective manner (Vig 2013).
Thus, with the introduction of the technology of the web the machinery of politics has
undergone a rapid transformation in the recent times. Gone are the days when the
politics in order to deliver their messages had to travel to the markets or the other
places where the people used to frequent and then deliver their message out there
(Vig 2013). In the present times, the various politicians take the platform of web to
reach out to a much larger number of people through this particular technology
without even having to leave their homes or offices (Stehr 2015). Furthermore, the
introduction of the technology of web has greatly transformed the way elections were
being conducted by the various nations of the world (Stehr 2015). For example, in
the earlier times the various nations of the world had to depend on the manual
system of the ballot boxes which used to take a lot of time and resources. However,
in the present times it is seen that many nations of the world like Canada and others
take the help of the platforms offered by technology for the effective conduct of their
general elections and also to save the resources and labor which used to get wasted
during the manual forms of elections. Furthermore, the introduction of the technology
of the web has also greatly transformed the political relations between the different
nations of the world. In the traditional times it was seen that the various neighboring
countries or the other countries of the world did not have an effective relationship
among themselves (Nakamura and Chow-White 2013). However, in the present
times with the introduction of the technology of web and its effective use by the
various nations of the world has improved the international relationships among the
diverse nations of the world in a significant manner. In addition to these, another

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significant aspect of the introduction of the technology of web is that it has
significantly simplified the campaigning process of the various political parties. It is
significant too note that in the present times most of the political parties take the help
of the web to promote the values as well as the ideas of their political leader and
political parties. It is interesting to note that in the earlier times the various political
parties had to manually print all their manifestos and other promotional posters
related to the party and then distribute them to the people or put them in places
where the people could easily see them and also understand the message which the
party is trying to convey (Nakamura and Chow-White 2013). However, in the present
times the process has become much simplified with the introduction of the web and
social media where the various political parties can promote their political parties as
well as the values or the principles which they stand for. Therefore, it would be apt to
say that the introduction of the technology of web has positively impacted the
machinery of politics.
Politics and Technology: Negative Aspects
The introduction of the technology of web has provided a very powerful
weapon to the politicians who are utilizing it an unethical manner to fulfill their own
greed for money as well as power. Therefore, it is often seen that the politicians
often create a fake image of theirs over the web platforms in a bid to fox the people
and thereby gain power (Papacharissi 2015). Therefore, various means should be
set up by means of which the various politicians should be prevented from misusing
this particular platform.

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Conclusion
To conclude, the technology of web has greatly changed the world in the last
few decades and more specifically the world of politics. It is significant to note that
there are both positive as well as the negative aspects of the introduction of this
particular technology and of its use by the various politicians of the world. However,
it is significant to note that the benefits of the process of the use of this particular
technology in the machinery of politics far outweigh the disadvantages associated
with the process.

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References
Ausserhofer, J. and Maireder, A., 2013. National politics on Twitter: Structures and
topics of a networked public sphere. Information, Communication & Society, 16(3),
pp.291-314.
Hirst, M., Harrison, J. and Mazepa, P., 2014. Communication and new media: From
broadcast to narrowcast. Oxford University Press.
Nakamura, L. and Chow-White, P. eds., 2013. Race after the Internet. Routledge.
Papacharissi, Z., 2015. Affective publics: Sentiment, technology, and politics. Oxford
University Press.
Stehr, N., 2015. Knowledge politics: Governing the consequences of science and
technology. Routledge.
Vig, N.J., 2013. Science and technology in British politics. Elsevier.