Deliberations

I like John Brumby, Premier of the Australian state I live in, Victoria. Like many leaders, he is joining the participatory web bandwagon. In his case, it is a YouTube channel where you get to ask video questions, to which he may reply.

As I wrote earlier, I view this as a sort of Dorothy Dixer 2.0. Most questions start with strong statements about what should be done, and the questions invite the premier onto a virtual soapbox. In this case, Brumby says he will answer the questions that gain the most votes, but there will certainly not be enough traffic to stop party workers from loading those that will benefit the Government and the Labor Party most.

I write this post reluctantly. As a software developer, I recognise that there is good work in setting up such portals. We need more people with the technical nouse to make online dialogue work.

But the claims that such initiatives democratise the web are an Orwellian illusion. There is no citizen empowerment that counts, such as real collaboration with citizens in policy setting. Instead, this YouTube channel reinforces elite power. A disproportionately high number of wacko submissions abets the conservative view that leaders should lead and the rabble should follow.

We need online platforms that combine the best features of well-convened focus groups and especially juries, where citizens can inform each other as well as the Government through more than just submissions and transmissions.