The communication of communication. An illustration: The South African rhetorical promotion of ICTs
Journal Article
2004
Permanent link to this Item
Authors
Journal Title
Politikon
Link to Journal
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Publisher
University of Cape Town
Department
Faculty
License
Series
Abstract
The South African government expects a ‘radical democratization’ from the access to and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) as political resources. A close look at the official discourse reveals that these technologies ought to foster a deliberative and participatory democracy (electronic democracy) on the one hand and a ‘delivery democracy’ (electronic government) on the other. However, this public rhetoric is flawed by a lack of logical coherence and, therefore, can be read as a miscommunication. It is also problematic in its content. Indeed, ICTs cannot, by themselves, realize the ideal of the public sphere as conceptualized by Ju¨rgen Habermas. Characterized by the reign of the prefix ‘cyber-e-tele’, the South African discourse is embedded into a complex mix of myth, ideology and utopia.
Description
Reference:
Nicolas Péjout (2004) The communication of communication. An illustration: the South African rhetorical promotion of ICTS, Politikon, 31:2, 185-199.