Internet: Its Functions Of Democracy And Limits

Historically, every great innovation of technology always accompanies with and bringeshuge changes to people in the field of lifestyle, communication mode and the form of socialorganization. In fact, technology has become an important benchmark for humaninterpretations and repartition times, so each era has been deeply marked by the stigma oftechnology. Within those technology improvemen, the advances in communicationtechnology are always inextricably associated with the evolution of human social and politicallife. Early as more than one hundred years ago, Liang Qichao had said that:"To go forward orto step back, the direction of today’s democratic politics totally depends on journalism." Timeflies, for the reform and opening up of new China, network has replaced the newspaper andbecome important force in our democratic process. It can be said today’s democratic politics,forward or backward, are related to the merits and mistakes of network. Although with thehelping of the anonymous network, the two-way, prompt, decentralized information media,Internet users win an unprecedented freedom and convenient channel to express their point ofview, to supervise the exercise of power, and to participate in the management of publicaffairs, we still can not recognize democratic in network as an entirely new model ofdemocracy. Instead, it is the description and interpretation of the function of representativedemocracy under Internet technology. As we all know that since the birth of representativedemocracy, questioning and criticism have been on hand with it for the reasons such as theseparation between the owners of power and the exerciser of power, the rigid politicalprocedure and the low enthusiasm of citizen’s participation. The meaning of democracy innetwork is that this emerging technology provides a safe for citizen participation in politicallife, rises their passion and leads them back to the political life, so that the separation can bebridged and the ossified procedures can be re-energized. There is no denying the fact thatnetwork provides a short cut for citizen to participate in the democratic political practice moredirectly, to which equals the introduction of a wider range of direct participation in democraticpolitical process. Yet, it can not be identified that democracy in network contains forcesbeyond representative democracy and the revival of direct democracy. Perhaps in the field ofpure democracy value, direct democracy has always been a critical force to representativedemocracy. However for today’s world, the direct democracy type of small country with a few people is not able to meet the needs of the reality. In the field of practice, it is the inevitableresult of development of human history that the representative democracy has far surpassedthe direct democracy.When we discuss democracy in network in practice areas, not just limit it in the purelytheoretical category, it should be taken into account that the democracy in network in differentpolitical environments has diverse function. Compared to the West, China’s network ofdemocracy has more dynamic and social mobilization force. This is closely related to China’ssocial conflicts during our social transformation, diversity of social interests and demands,long-term poor access to express as well. It can be said that the capability of network in China,as it were, gathering such great social power and passion, results in the sharp contrast in theexpression channel between the occlusive one in the reality and the diversification in thecyberspace. The burning network expression enthusiasm of netizens reflects the long-standingrepressed expression desire of citizens. Western developed countries experienced “Telephonedemocracy”,“TV democracy,”“E-democracy”, etc. the democratic form of foreshadowing,the democracy in network for them might have been able to go deep into the democraticpolitical structure level, to strengthen and consolidate democracy, even to a certain extent,reshape democracy. For our part, its value is to nurture democratic citizenship and Itsinfluence has not been able to penetrate to the level of democratic structure temporarily. Thisdoes not mean weakening or vanishing of its promoting function, but due to the lack ofdemocratic elements in the traditional culture in our country and the public opinionexpression channel, as well as the serious social contradictions we are facing, the democracyin network is particularly important for our democratic process. Because it not only promotedthe progress of democratic politics in political practice, more important, it introducesdemocratic spirit and the concept of political rights to the people’s hearts. Democracy is aendless career of human self-understanding and self-management. It is a complex gamesystem, so it pursuits consciousness and value, in the same time, requires institutional andtechnical aspects. Because both of them are indispensable, the absence of any part will crashthe entire democratic system. Perfect democracy is likely to be spoiled or be destroyed, butthe democratic spirit in people’s heart is indelible. it always provides a steady stream of powerfor democratic progress.In Chinese context, it is obvious that the network has played a promoting role fordemocracy. All the events such as legislative hearings on the Internet, the network two sessions and the frequent network anti-corruption actions highlight the power of thedemocracy in network; both of the rising enthusiasm of Internet users to participate and tosupervise political activities in China show the great potential of democracy in network.However, everything always has its two sides. The crisis hidden behind the dressed active sideof democracy in network. First, boiling public opinion, the bitter, paranoid and childishspeech on the internet almost become the whole thing of our country network politicalparticipation. Lacking of state involvement, the disorderly network political participation notonly can not promote our country’s democratic process, but also has a serious threat to thesocial stability in China. Secondly, network as a kind of information technology, does notnaturally seek for democracy, neither does it necessarily lead us to democracy. It is nothingbut beautiful extravagant expectation of human that the advances in communicationtechnology will inevitably bring the progress of the democratic system. As a kind of technicalforce, in which way the network promotes democracy, in which way it could destroydemocracy. The unique topology structure and addressing way of network make it possible tosuppress the freedom of expression. With the continuous improvement of the social shapingfunction of network, the possibility of abusing this network technology is increasing.Unfortunately, under the curtain of the complex technology, it would be difficult to notice andpercept the various detention imposed by the network on freedom of expression. Networktechnology will create a virtual illusion for people who have been deprived of the right ofexpression freedom that they can speak freely. People will think they are in the upstream ofthe information source, and can grasp the truth of the facts with all information. However,they are actually just living in the pre-screened information environment, and despotism andtyranny may hide under the mask of democracy they enjoy. And this technical defects of thenetwork itself is embedded in its own structure which is almost impossible to completelyeliminate the threat of these technical defects for democracy in network.Besides the threat of technical defects, from the birth of democracy in network,anarchism and law invalid theory as two circled specter overhead of the network, have beensucking and erosion the vitality of it. In many people’s opinion, cyberspace is an absolutefreedom area for individual without the government and the law. But when we rationallysurvey the democracy in network and humanity through the beautiful mirage-like illusory wewoven by the internet, we will find it is undoubtedly a glass-like fragility of the preconditionfor the realization of the democracy in network, if we expect promote the democratic process and freedom of the individual by filtering humanity in evil and the reality of inequality bynetwork technology alone. To realize the freedom of democracy in network can not obtain ifwe get rid of the government and the law, to the contrary, it relies on good government and asound legal system. For the Internet age, we need to always bear in mind that networktechnology has expanded the boundaries of democracy and freedom, and enriched the formsof democracy and freedom, but it never ever erase the boundaries of freedom, nor underminethe inherent democratic procedures. Good laws and norms should be regarded as theprotection of democracy and freedom rather than the infringement. The "freedom" and the"democracy" overflowed the boundary of laws and standards are depravity of their own whichwill be bound to reflexively erose themselves.