Challenges of achieving effective online engagement
Internet is one of the well-known development digital technologies. As it is developing rapidly, the numbers of internet users are continuing to increase and it has given contribution and benefits to democratic engagement. The rises in the variety of internet services allow people to get a wide range of information that they want freely and they are able to use the internet in their own ways for individual freedom in different purposes. The internet also can be a communication platform for people to share the information and exchange their opinions and also discuss the issues through the online engagement. Not only individuals but most of the public sectors around the world utilize the information and communications technology (ICT) to implement the concept of community engagement through diverse forms which has a good impact for the public online engagement between public sectors and citizens in policy-making process. However, there are several challenges for achieving effective online engagement if people do not use it appropriately. The following paragraphs will provide personal opinion of the challenges and possible strategies to overcome it.
Challenge 1: Cognitive ability on online participation
The first challenge to achieve effective online engagement is citizen’s cognitive ability to understand the purpose and importance of online engagement to make useful contributions to the policy process. People should also be aware of the value of their contribution to online participation. If people know that their input could influence and affect the decision-making process, they will be motivated to engage the online participation actively and express their own views spontaneously. However, achieving effective online engagement applies to citizen who has a cognitive ability on participation and who are active or interested in expressing their own ideas.
To overcome this challenge, the government and public sectors should inform citizens about the importance of citizens’ participation and value of the online deliberation. People should be aware that online citizen engagement is the key element during participation in the policy development and decision-making processes. Therefore, the government should provide comprehensive background and information about the purpose of the engagement exercise and explain why the planned engagement is occurring. As the government has provided clarity on the engagement process, a high degree of involvement and comprehensive understanding are expected. The government or public sectors should also inform how people’s feedback and views will influence and affect the decision-making process. Therefore, people will have the cognitive ability that their online engagement is important to the decision-making process.
Challenge 2: Digital Divide
The second challenge can be the concept of digital divide. Even though the spread of digital technology is on the rise, there are still digital divide conflicts which exist in today’s society (The digital Inclusion Research Group, 2017). The most digitally excluded groups can be identified as families on low incomes and education, people with disabilities, people living outside urban areas, seniors, race and ethnicity (The Digital Inclusion Research Group, 2017). People with limited access to the internet might get unequal exposure of the available information to gain the information or knowledge that is needed for online engagement compared to internet user groups who have the skills to find or use information from online sources effectively. Therefore, it can be a key challenge that contributes to reduce people’s opportunities to participate in online engagement. In addition, according to New Zealand Statement in 2017, the number of people who has less access to the internet continues to fall behind digitally and socio-economically. The online engagement space is open for anyone who wants to participate but if this digital divide conflicts continues, those who have limited to have access to the internet would be unable to cooperate with the government and the government also would not get any feedback from them.
The New Zealand government is trying to improve the internet connectivity among citizens suffering from internet inequality due to the digital divide conflicts (The official website of the New Zealand Government, 2017). For example, the National Information Society Agency (NIA) in South Korea is providing digital education for senior citizens in conjunction with the senior welfare center including education on using smartphones, training on self-check-out machine and drones. Also, local welfare centers and local governments conducting free diverse digital education programmes for the disabled and the elderly. If the government expands this education project, it is expected that the use of information technology level will increase, and promoting online participation as well as narrowing the digital divide among generations.
Challenge 3: Anonymity
The final challenge in achieving successful online participation is anonymity. Some internet users care about their privacy and they may have some reasons to seek for privacy by hiding their identity. Therefore, people can freely express their own views and leave comment on other people’s opinions anonymously if they wish. However, the anonymity can have positive and negative effects of communication. Anonymity can lead to misbehavior, such as harsh or rude language and they also may not engage in serious debate on public issues. They may also tend to be overconfident in expressing their own words, which can abuse anonymity.
All online users should engage in a serious manner especially in debate where other users are participating together. The government should educate their citizens about how to use the internet etiquette the importance of proper manners and behavior online. In addition, schools should also start to educate young students on how to use the digital technologies correctly and internet etiquette. Thus, they would understand from the early age on how to use the digital technologies properly and have the ability to communicate with others carefully.
Reference
Ruogu, K., Stephanie, B., & Sara K. (2013, Apr). Why Do People Seek Anonymity on the Internet? Informing Policy and Design. Retrieved from: https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~xia/resources/Documents/kang-chi13.pdf
The Digital Inclusion Research Group. (2017, May). Digital New Zealanders: The Pulse of our Nation, A Report to MBIE and DIA. Retrieved from: https://www.mbie.govt.nz/dmsdocument/3228-digital-new-zealanders-the-pulse-of-our-nation-pdf%22
The official website of the New Zealand Government. (2017, Dec). ‘Pulse of the Nation’ report exposes digital divide. Retrieved from: https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/%E2%80%98pulse-nation%E2%80%99-report-exposes-digital-divide
