E-Democracy: The Social Software Perspective

Abstract

The success of the Internet has launched McLuhan’s idea of the global village. Over the years, the Internet has become a real political medium which has inspired the emergence of the concept of e-democracy. Despite some successful applications, many limitations prevent its wide expansion. Some of these limitations can be solved with social software, in particular with the emerging Web 2.0 applications. This kind of applications may contribute to a better application of e-democracy processes for local political decisions.