Internet has redefined politics, empowered people: Modi

Speaking at Google Big Tent Summit CM says technology has forced political class to perform

Internet has not only redefined politics, but has empowered people, said Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi while addressing Google Big Tent Activate Summit 2013 via Google+ Hangout on Thursday.

Speaking on the issue of  ‘Technology in Politics’ Modi said, "Today’s web-connected world has brought about another paradigm shift with the Internet. This is not just impacting politics, but is in a sense fundamentally redefining it."

"Earlier technological evolutions helped politicians more. Information technology has led to empowerment of people as well. This is very important for a large democracy like India," Modi said.

Elaborating his view the chief minister said, "Information in the pre-internet era was more one-dimensional. It was limited to politicians bombarding their thoughts and views on citizens. Now it is a two way process. Citizens are empowered with wide access to information, from multiple channels. He shares information, raises questions, comments, and connects with others. He voices his opinion and gives his feedback.”

"The internet has therefore truly empowered the citizen. It has forced the politician to perform," said Modi who himself is tech-savvy and active on number of social media.

According to Modi, time has come for the political class to reinvent itself. "They needs to embrace the internet’s many powerful facets. The political class needs to stop seeing technology as an impediment, and start harnessing it in the right spirit," the CM added.

He further opined that technology has merged politics with governance. "The focus of the public sphere is on accountability, transparency and action. Good governance is the key political agenda now, be it in the developed or developing world. And this is driven by the internet, new communication media and digital convergence. Internet has been a game changer in the realm of information-based decision making," Modi added.

The three time chief minister said that internet has ushered in an age of direct democracy – where the common citizen directly engages in the policy making process and affects the policy outcomes, rather than being limited to doing so through his elected representative. "Advance in technology is rapidly transforming the government-citizen relationship. Social media in particular, provides a great platform for the government to engage with citizens," he said. Modi also explained the initiatives in information technology taken by his government in Gujarat.

For him technology in itself was neither good nor bad, it depends on how it was harnessed. "Deployed in the right way, technology can be an extremely powerful force, capable of bringing about great change. The challenge is how better we can connect the common man to this world," he concluded.