Michele Brannon-Hamilton's Blog

World Politics
When I think of politics, two things come to mind: money and power. In the age of technology we seem to have a world of possible democracy. But is it real? At a glance, it seems plausible that countries across the world can unite using the internet. We can share cultural views and create a common understanding of the world. What could be better?

I can almost believe a world of peace where we all unite to save the environment. How utopian. Yet . . . .

In reality, I see a world of haves and have-nots, a world where the digital divide widens as the technology advances. Instead of a united world, is it possible we are creating a divided world where those with the technology, money and power control those who do not?

Can technology become the all-seeing-eye where those with the power overlook and control those without? In order to create a world of democracy, we would have to make the assumption that all those with the technology want to use it for the common good. Yet, taking a quick look through a history book suggests differently.

And what if we look at the politics of technology on a smaller scale?

On a Smaller Scale
Throughout our class discussions on technology in schools, various people commented on the fact that some schools had the technology and some did not. Again this shows the divide. Would the answer be to provide technology for all? It seems like the perfect solution at first; yet, even in schools with the technology educational becomes political.

Decisions are often made with a top down approach where those with the power and money decide what the school will have access to and how they will use it. Is this democratically sound?

Again we see how those with the power make the decisions for those who do not. Even though technology may be instrumental in creating democracy in our world, it is just as likely to widen the political gap.