Information is a cornerstone of political education and
socialization. The ability to find out about issues of public
importance, and the capacity to inform oneself about the
workings of government and its policies are examples of how
information can be essential to the education of the informed
and responsible citizen. Yet in this era of information overload,
the subtle but vital difference between information and
knowledge needs to be drawn in order to create virtual places
that promote political education in the broadest sense. It is not,
in fact, information per se which is useful but knowledge,
information which has been distilled and contextualized so that
it can impart meaning.
The Internet is the ultimate reference library, chock-full
of data supplied by individuals and institutions from around the
world, usually for the free use of all comers. The danger of the
Internet is that it threatens to overwhelm us with so much
information that, instead of democratizing and enriching our
political lives, it is actually drowning us in irrelevancies.
Internet users know well that the abundance of informational
riches can have a paralytic effect, rendering the viewer helpless
to find anything. The huge quantity of information available
creates an inverse relationship between speaking and listening,
between information and understanding. The more people
speak, the fewer people will actually be heard. In fact, the
deluge of data ensures that we cannot find anything. It has also
the effect of making us even more dependent than in the days
before the flood on unaccountable, commercialized search tools
and information filters to sort information and make it
meaningful. Although these editors are machines, they are not
neutral. The values and choices are embedded deep within the
code and often not obvious to the user.
Beth Simone Noveck. Paradoxical partners: electronic communication and electronic
democracy. In: Peter Ferdinand (Ed.). The Internet, democracy, and democratization.
London: Frank Cass/Routledge, 2000, p. 23-4 (with adaptations).
