Information Technology's Personal Influence on Popular Evaluation of Politics

• In Event: Innovative Pedagogies for Civic Engagement, K-12 and Beyond

Abstract

Technology continues to change at an astounding rate. Information media reaches us with technology that would have been unimaginable a few decades ago. The change in media is so profound that one questions how extensively innovation is affecting present politics. Contrast the television of the 1980s with the mobile device of 2020, and the differences in media appear significant in all sorts of political phenomena. This proposed paper intends to analyze the implications of an increasingly personal source of news and information relevant to politics.

As a phenomenon, mobile devices need more recognition as influential in 2020 politics. This proposed paper’s objectives include producing a social science analysis with data and analytic techniques that improves conceptualization of mobile devices and politics. Evaluating techniques for teaching about information technology and mobile devices is another of the paper’s objectives. Delivering politically relevant information to the mobile device deserves academic interest. Information can pertain to politics or be e-government related. Whichever type of information is being delivered, the mobile device is a more personal communications arrangement than anything preceding. A perplexing problem can be how to encourage students to be more perceptive of this phenomena. Issues about how to most effectively provide e-government information are relevant. An objective of the proposed paper is to better conceptualize the importance of mobile technology in politics and e-government. Better mobile technology analysis as a result of improved awareness of this phenomenon and better conceptualization of relevant ideas could result.

One prominent theory about trends in technology suggests inevitably social issues become more decisive in political choice. Influential information media has always been influenced by technology. Future politics have much in store for them as a result of increasingly sophisticated technology. Anticipating that technology is going to support greater affinity searches is a reasonable perspective. Around 2000, educators thought affinity grouping had potential in assisting learners. When learners could be grouped with those having similar perspectives, attaining better educational outcomes was anticipated. The possibility of achieving these gains by networking with people at a distance was seen as promising.

In 2020, when one speaks of affinity grouping, one is talking about advanced search capabilities. Were one to project developments in mobile technology’s personal reach, one might expect that innovation could increasingly accomplish affinity grouping. The political implications of technology so developing would be an even greater emphasis on social issues. The politics of 2020 are concerned with what it means to have a high emphasis on social issues. For example, how do social issue politics affect polarization?

The proposed paper would be theoretically useful in anticipating what what is happening transforming our politics. Beginning with the discussion of the increasing personalized politics with mobile technology the paper allows data analysis as a bases for theorizing. Ideas from around 2000 about affinity groups and education are useful in anticipating where technological trends are leading. Possibly analyzing attempts to educate about mobile technology and its usefulness could prove heuristically valuable. Finally, another objective of the paper is attempting to resolve if technologically assisted affinity grouping has a propensity to accelerate polarization and to affect other questionable 2020 political developments.

Author

• Charles L. Mitchell, Grambling State University