16/11: Medvedev Overtakes Obama in Hi-Tech Race
Several newspapers today announced that Obama posted his first internet video address on YouTube, thus heralding the era of the new "digital" government.
Surprisingly enough, the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has started doing exactly same thing already a month ago. If you go to the Kremlin site you can see all three addresses translated in English.
However, does it really mean that the government worldwide is becoming more "transparent"?
If one watches the both addresses, one striking detail is that both presidents are not really open to feedback. It's evident that their are merely utilizing the new media opportunities to communicate their message to wider audiences. In this sense, Obama is a bit more open because at least YouTube allows comments (which are mostly stupid) and video responses (which may be quite stupid as well). Medvedev posts his videos on his own site (although you might be able to find them on Youtube as well).
Today's article in technology blog Read Write Web Lidija Davis is making a good point writing that using more information channels does not automatically means transparency. If the both presidents are really keen on engaging with the public point of view, they have to utilize the technology to the full extent, using the social services, which allow two-way communication.
Surprisingly enough, the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has started doing exactly same thing already a month ago. If you go to the Kremlin site you can see all three addresses translated in English.
However, does it really mean that the government worldwide is becoming more "transparent"?
If one watches the both addresses, one striking detail is that both presidents are not really open to feedback. It's evident that their are merely utilizing the new media opportunities to communicate their message to wider audiences. In this sense, Obama is a bit more open because at least YouTube allows comments (which are mostly stupid) and video responses (which may be quite stupid as well). Medvedev posts his videos on his own site (although you might be able to find them on Youtube as well).
Today's article in technology blog Read Write Web Lidija Davis is making a good point writing that using more information channels does not automatically means transparency. If the both presidents are really keen on engaging with the public point of view, they have to utilize the technology to the full extent, using the social services, which allow two-way communication.
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Paul wrote: