Could technology lead to micro self government?
Dan Thornton | February 6, 2008A bit of a break from my normal musings on community marketing, digital publishing and journalism, but this idea has been in my head for a while, and I’d welcome other opinions and thoughts…
The idea?
Is there any reason why communities can’t be empowered by a micro-level of self-government, using digital technology?
Or, to put it another way, is there any reason all the people in my street can’t vote on what day the rubbish is collected, for example? Using internet/mobile voting, it could mean that we tailor the services provided by the council to our actual needs, and remove any unnecessary spending. For instance, do we actually all fill our recycling bin, or green waste bin, as often as the ‘normal’ waste bin? Or would we be better served by a collection service for glass?
There would have to be geographic/resource limitations, as I realise at street level, you couldn’t have everyone requesting their rubbish goes at exactly the same time…or everyone choosing a different time and forcing refuse collectors to work 24/7.
But considering the interest when No 10 unveiled its e-petition site, the penetration of internet/mobile connections, and the fact I can invest in everything from shares to bands, sort my banking, pay my bills etc, surely it’s time to update democracy?
