A public debate - Battle of Ideas 2010 is being conducted by the Institute of Ideas, London on "A new technological democracy" (details below). It's of national and international importance. I would appreciate if you can send your views on the subject and also forward to your contacts and request them to send their valuable opinions on this topic to me for taking up in the debate.
Anyone is invited to join the debate at Landmark, Nungamabakkam, Chennai on Nov 23 at 7 pm on first come, first served, subject to availability of space.
Best,
Kris Dev
ICT & e-Gov Consultant
Social Activist, Chennai
President & CEO,
Life Line to Business (LL2B)
http://ll2b.blogspot.com
President & CEO,
Life Line to Business,
http://ll2b.blogspot.com.
Chennai
+91 98 408 52132 / 1(206) 274 1635
krisdev_at_gmail_dot_com
Battle of Ideas 2010 - a debate on A new technological democracy? on Tuesday 23rd November at Landmark Books in Chennai.
India is not only the world's largest democracy, but also one of the most high-tech, having pioneered electronic voting machines. Technology has not only modernised the physical act of voting, however, but arguably transformed the practice of democracy more generally. Politics now pervades the internet, with politicians and activists taking advantage of everything from email to blogs, video-sharing and social networking sites. Laptops and mobile phones have become increasingly affordable and highly-effective political tools. People have the freedom to access public information like never before, and to publish their own opinions, challenging traditional sources of authority: `citizen journalists' break stories and electoral candidates connect with their electorates via YouTube. But how revolutionary is new technology really? Does it really lead to a redistribution of political power? Or are political parties and multinational corporations simply using new technology for their own traditional ends?
New technology has certainly opened the door for the majority, rather than the minority, to create and have their say and engage in political activism. Chinese dissident activists can communicate beneath the radar of the authorities, while in democracies like India, individuals have the potential to communicate across great distances and regardless of social boundaries. But does the reality live up to the hype? Or do people prefer to use the new technology for more mundane purposes like entertainment and chatting to friends? Does the cost of technology unfairly exclude some of those who most need a political voice? As some fear with electronic voting machines, might technical flaws or `gremlins' actually undermine democracy? And even when everything works perfectly, might the informality and anonymity of the web itself undermine democracy by encouraging incivility and offence, or allowing people to communicate only with others who share their own opinions? Can citizens and politicians alike harness the potential of the internet to develop new and more open forms of democratic engagement, or should politics come back down to Earth?
For a full description of the debate and some background readings on the issue, please see the website.
http://www.battleofideas.org.uk/index.php/2010/session_detail/4591/
speakers:
http://battleofideas.org.uk/speakers/sarath.babu/large.gif Sarath Babu, founder and CEO, Foodking; independent candidate, Lok Sabha Elections 2009, Chennai
http://battleofideas.org.uk/speakers/kevin.toolis/large.gif Kevin Toolis, director and co-founder, manyriversfilm; director, Emmy-nominated Cult of the Suicide Bomber; author, Rebel Hearts: journeys within the IRA's soul
http://battleofideas.org.uk/speakers/sanjay.pinto/large.gif Sanjay Pinto, executive editor, NDTV Hindu; host, Chennai Speaks Out; former National Debating Champion
http://battleofideas.org.uk/speakers/dolan.cummings/large.gif Dolan Cummings, convenor, Battle for Politics; associate fellow, Institute of Ideas; editor, Culture Wars; editor, Debating Humanism
http://battleofideas.org.uk/speakers/kris.dev/large.gif Kris Dev, e-government consultant and social activist, Life Line to Business (LL2B), Chennai
Angus Kennedy
Head of External Relations
Institute of Ideas
Signet House
49-51 Farringdon Road
London EC1M 3JP
www.instituteofideas.com
www.battleofideas.org.uk
www.debatingmatters.com
www.culturewars.org.uk
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