Government 2.0 Slammed

When I came back from talking about Emergent Democracy at Howard's Cooperation Studies class at Stanford, I saw a post about Government 2.0 (my first "nofollow") -- and shot this off in haste to the Extreme Democracy editors:

Seriously, there needs to be a concerted effort to slam this consumption-based model of emergent democracy.

I implore you to read the whole thing by Jon Lebkowsky at WorldChanging about William Eggers on "Government 2.0", or politics as "constituent relationship management" vs a politics of democratic deliberation.

So while nonprofits and campaign organizations are still focusing on top-down organization to raise money and build less informed support, other groups are working to build environments for a deeper kind of democracy that's based on collaboration, talking, listening, and learning, much of it mediated by social technology. I can't imagine that democratic social networks will quickly replace the consumption-based model, but we may be seeing sustainable evolution.

Mitch Ratcliffe opens his Notebook, to summarize William Eggers' Government 2.0 argument:

Citizens become customers, but customers don't get to set the rules of the market. Instead, they make the best deal they can given the offers available, and that has nothing to do with government and democracy. It's a social Darwinist environment in which the most influential participants (them that gots the money) set the rules of the game.

All I want is a government that deliberates and cooperates with me, my groups and our voices in a way that apathy is irrational.

Comments

[Dr. Ernie]

Great post! That's exactly the sort of collaborative democracy we're trying to do with http://www.bloginators.com/ using social technology (sorry, not yours, someone else made that decision :-(.

[Raymond M. Kristiansen]

This goes directly at the core of my interest in politics/society.

A typical example of the top-down approach is the Norwegian Church Aid agency, Kirkens Nødhjelp (www.nca.no) Using PR companies, and also outsourcing the work to attract people who pay a monthly bill via online banking, this non-profit gains funds which they then choose to use as they see fit. The information stream from the ngo is primary channeled through brochures and magazines (where a part of the message is to ask for even More money). After the Tsunami disaster had occurred, I was so disgusted. Disgusted with how the top-down organizations all rushed towards this great new cause. Billions were raised, or at least promised.

And then it all died out in mainstream media, and the NGOs working in Banda Aceh and elsewhere are mostly left alone.

My point is that we Really need to do something about this whole issue. In my opinion, we need to set an example where we can, and within my political party, I will try to be even better at including the voters and the general public in the discussions about issues that are ongoing in the party.

[Bill Eggers]

Ross,

I would simply ask you to actually read the book before you "slam" it. If you actually read it, you will find a large portion of Government 2.0 devoted to using the Internet to create more bottom-up, participatory democracy. Moreover, my other new book, Governing by Network, concerns how to enhance public value through activating and engaging decentralized networks.

Bill Eggers

[Ross Mayfield]

Thanks for your comment Bill. Will find time to pick up your book.

[Todd]

Hello.

I've been a Yahoo Mail user for several years now but have always been disappointed with their web space. A friend informed me about GMail & I read a review you posted on google. I was curious if you knew any way I could be invited to try GMail, or if you might invite me. Any help you could give would be appreciated greatly.

toddmadore2k@yahoo.com

Thx,

Todd