How Advanced Technologies can Maintain Power and Control People

Technology may influence politics in different ways such that politicians may force for a certain technology which satisfies their needs to be used in the country regardless of its long run effects. They may also require a specific technology be scrapped off if it results into a political pressure. Technology has influenced and shaped people’s lives and given the importance of technologies, one has to wonder why it has not influenced politics to greater heights so far. Looking at the modern discussion on this topic it might be difficult to convince a politician about the general effects of technology. This is because voters would be very brave and demand for their problems to be solved first (Chalaby, 2011). People have the privilege to freely talk and interact with others at distant places effortlessly and at lower costs.

News spread out very quickly through social media such as twitter and facebook and thus influences decision making from one place to another. Through globalization, which has made information readily available to the people, soft power has become less importance. Soft power involves ruling the people and getting the objectives done without using power. As people continue to copy different cultures through globalization, there is shift in type of power being practiced. The government can use them to either be more powerful by depriving information from its citizens or distribute the power to the people. As technology continues to advance, the development of third world countries is accelerating through industrial revolution such as technological innovations, network technology, biometrics, biotechnology, information technology and many more.

The basic tools for economical development are made available and are affordable at cheap prices thus results in quick development. Technology also helps countries to solve their problems as information is accessed easily hence long term solutions can be reached. Therefore technology will make both the government and its people powerful. Several countries meet telecommunication companies and surveillance companies every year secretly to strike deals and discuss latest technologies on how their citizens can be intercepted. Government Power and Technology In United States, being the biggest economy in the world, as technology advances, the power of the government reduces. In 2011, the federal government launched We The People program that would help people instruct the government on how the critical issues should be done.

Any petition from an individual or a group that had signatures above 5000 would receive first priority by the government. Due to internet giving more power to the citizens, the signatures have been increased to 100, 000. New technologies brings along new opportunities to magnify the power of every individual. As long as people do not abuse this opportunities, they can be able to give themselves a voice mostly in developing countries where power is always with those in the government. Governments which encourages such opportunities to its citizens will always arrive at the best decisions since its citizens are actively involved in decision making. When participation. Transparency and accountability are increased; there is less corruption in the country and very little waste of resources.

For example companies that specialize in advertisement such as Facebook and Google gained more power with introduction of internet but Microsoft lost its initial power. Political power was lost as well in some governments as citizens organized online. Political movements have become easier helping in toppling the governments such as in Zimbabwe. Social power has been changed through internet as hundreds of friends tweet in one way thus making their views listened to (Diamond 2015). Some large organizations are now working towards taking the total influence of the internet to their advantage, for instance, the viral Big Brother Tv station that has dominated the internet platform. The best opportunity for people to shift the power into their control through internet is that internet itself is not fixed by the natural laws.

Conclusion Battles over how technologies such as the internet will be used in the years to come are on now with international organizations trying to gain control. Each organizations and governments are shaping their own internets so that they can maintain the power and control over people. Business organizations are using technologies to be more powerful in the market and be able to control prices and quality. However, with the rise of social media, consumers are getting first hand information and are now having the powers to control the market, especially the quality and prices of products. Virtual power plays: Social movements, internet communication technology, and political parties. In The internet and democracy in global perspective (pp. Springer, Cham. Diamond, L.