Beware the New Media

On hype about new media: If things continue as they are, the wondrous new telecommunications technologies of the Internet era will undoubtedly make life in government service worse, not better. The incredibly swift spread of the Internet has led to enormous hype and exaggerated optimism, which is what always happens with the introduction of new telecommunications technologies.

On entertainment-driven media: When radio and television first burst into public life a few decades ago, everyone predicted these magic new electronic media, too, would improve the government's ability to serve. In a remarkably short time, radio and television did indeed revolutionize the flow of information and communication in American society. Yet during this period, voter turnout dramatically decreased, the public's interest in politics has fallen to an all-time low and the public's trust of government has plummeted. In fact, it appears that the more exposure people have to the mass media, the less they bother to vote and the worse they feel about government and politics.

What radio and television have done, and are now doing more than ever, is to saturate the public airwaves with an unprecedented torrent of amusing, diverting entertainment and recreation, 24 hours a day, along with a flood of data for business, commerce and news headlines. They have brilliantly succeeded in giving people what they want. But they are utterly failing to give the American people critically important services they need.

On developing public-interest content: If we've learned anything from past media experience, it's that simply having the technological infrastructure in place-building an electronic superhighway to schools, homes and libraries, as good as that sounds-will not be nearly enough, because everything depends on how we use that technology.

What we need on our new telecommunications superhighway is a nationwide commitment to create and produce quality public interest content, the software that will make the new media socially and politically useful. We need to develop telecourses, programs, CD-roms and Web sites that provide information; free opportunities for civil political discourse; and presentations about science, the arts and culture-all well-produced, well-presented, well-marketed and interactive. And without a public policy that makes all that possible, none of that high-minded stuff will appear online by magic just because the technology is there.

On electronic democracy: With daily electronic polling, the rise of ballot initiatives and state referenda, and the torrid spread of instantaneous telecommunications, a well-informed, engaged, energetic citizenry is more important that ever. Today, virtually all government agencies have Web sites. That's a good but small first step in getting important public information out to the people directly. People want more responsiveness. They rail against faceless, remote layers of bureaucracy. Governments need to change the way they relate to the individual citizen.

For instance, the Library of Congress supplies fair-minded, authoritative, accurate research about all major public issues on demand to all members of Congress and their staffs. Why not make that service available on demand for all the people? With the convergence of television, telephones, satellites and computers, the tools are there.