Technocracy or Democracy?

Term Paper # 101537

Computer and Technology > Internet
Political Science

This paper explores politics of technology and culture in the 21st century.

1,267 words () | 7 sources | MLA | 2008 United States

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the emerging information age of global capitalism and multinational corporations and questions how the architectural code of cyberspace will be regulated. The paper defines democracy and technocracy, open source and closed source systems and explains this conflict over the control of resources.

From the Paper:

""Democracy" literally means "people rule". In the sharing of computer programming, it is defined as "Free software...that users have the freedom to distribute and change. [They] will no longer be at the mercy of one programmer or company which owns the sources" (Stallman, 2006, p.8). This "open source...shareware software development community [is opposed to] the restrictive practices of the highly competitive software developers" (Rushkoff, 2003, p.56). They want to move the control of software out of the hands of "locked down" (Rushkoff, 2003, p.56) private proprietors by making these products accessible to the public domain sharing "a freedom of competition" (Lessig, 2000, p.11) that is not restricted by the artificial, arbitrary aggrandizement of oligarchic corporations."

Sample of Sources Used:

Hudson, D. "Congress shows interest in regulating Internet". (1999). Retrieved January 2 2007 fromhttp://freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID10576 at "Congress shows interest in regulating internet"
Is the U.S. government about to pass restrictions on search data? (2006) Retrieved January 25, 2007 fromhttp://www.bigmouthmedia.com/live/articles/is_the_us_government_about_to_pass_restrictions_on_search_data.asp/3329/
Jones, K. "110th US congress wastes no time on Net Neutrality". (2007). Retrieved January 25, 2007Fromhttp://www.itnews.com.au/newstory.asp?CIaNID=44104at "Internet Restrictions in U.S. Congress Bills"
Koehler, W. "Network Neutrality Under Challenge".(2006) Retrieved January 25, 2007 fromhttp://www.infotoday.com/newsbreak/nb060501-1.shtmlat "Network Neutrality Under Challenge"
Lessig, L. "Cyberspace's Constitution (v1.0)".22 July, 2003 <http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/lessig/content/lectures/> in Paper Three