Wilheim asks a productive question in his essay on democratization of new media. For this post, share your thoughts on what does “democratization of new media” mean? What is the new frontier of civil rights? what is the key thesis underlying Wilheim’s argument on inequality (pg. 59–62)? In what sense is education central to the issue (p. 62–62)? What are the challenges and what role can internet voting and e-government play?
Office Hours & Contact Info
Spring 2021: Working remotelyDr. Vinita Agarwal
Associate Professor of Strategic Communications
Department of Communication
FH 272, Fulton Hall of Liberal Arts
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Email: vxagarwal@salisbury.edu
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Communication and Technology 
Democratization of “new media” means that anyone is able to access cyberspace and new forms of media and technology. The new frontier for civil rights is protecting the civil rights of all people and allowing them equal access to new technology and to cyberspace, regardless of defining characteristics such as race or gender. Willhelm’s key thesis is that curriculum’s of public education institutions are obligated to teach new technology to the younger generations and for the government of those who are out of school to teach those and allow those access to new technology to access cyberspace without discrimination. Education is central to this issue because in school is where many are first introduced to technology and its capabilities. Everyone, no matter gender or race, has the right to receive an education. Just as everyone is allowed to receive an education, many are fighting the original argument that children should just receive “adequate” education opportunities, but rather they should now receive greater opportunities “to be equipped for equal citizenship and economic self-reliance in the twenty-first century” (62). Internet voting and e-government play a role in this because if those who are using these systems are not educated in technology, they may not be able to use their right to vote. People of the United States have rights, but if technology transforms the way that everyone is custom to doing business, there will be some people left behind because they would be technologically illiterate.
Democratization of “new media” means that anyone who has the knowledge and resources can access the internet, a new phone, and anything relating to technology. The new frontier of civil rights refers to the changes in the technological world today and how equal access rights will be granted to everyone and anyone. His key thesis is judicial remedies to address digital equity and to usher in a Digital Nation, focusing on the obligations of public education and governments to serve all peoples without discrimination. The inadequacy of resources, equipment, and services is to a certain extent a moving target because technological change and social context make one-size-fits-all solutions difficult to prescribe. The right to receive a sound basic or adequate education in the twenty-first century means discarding outmoded notions of education and positing the underachieving urban student in a state-of-the-art, nimble learning environment, supported by well-trained teachers, relevant curriculum, and modern information and communications tools. National leadership in the United States is lagging in articulating a vision for what it means to be a full participant in a Digital Nation where media and communications tools can be harnessed to empower people, to improve their health and expand their earning potential. Internet voting was brought up to be almost racist due to the argument that as a class, African-Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics would have less opportunity to exercise their franchise than other members of the electorate, given the reality of the digital divide, that is, the disparate access to computers and the Internet that exists in Arizona. Voting online would be a success one day if everyone who is registered to vote had internet access at their fingertips.
Democratization of “new media” means that anyone who has the ability, know-how and resources can access the Internet, phone, and anything relating to technology can do so effectively. The new frontier for civil rights is protecting the civil rights of all people and allowing everyone the equal ability to access new technology and to cyberspace regardless of their race or gender.
Willhelm’s key thesis is that curriculum’s of public education institutions are obligated to teach new technology to the younger generations and of the public education and governments to serve all peoples without discrimination.
Education is the central issue because that is where every human, with access to technology, first learned what technology was and was also the place where they first used it. Everyone has the opportunity to learn and earn the right for technology no matter what characteristics he or she have or are.
Internet and e-government play a role because those who do not know how to use technology or are not technology savvy will be unable to vote and have no right. Everyone has their rights, but if technology changes the way everyone votes or does things in the world, then everyone will be forced to change as well.
Democratization of new media means that anyone one has ways to gain access to any technology on a nondiscriminatory basis. It is a world that people can say whatever they please on the internet without being punished for the act. It also depicts that anyone has the opportunity to have access to any form of new media.
The new frontier of civil rights give people the freedom to express themselves on any media these choose. “It asserts not only a right to “freedom of opinion and expression” but also a right “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas trough any media and regardless of frontiers,” (Wilheim, 61).
The key thesis underlying Wilheim’s argument on inequality is all about a Digital Nation. It focuses on the government and public education to teach the younger generation about technology. It also ensures that people can access technology without any discrimination.
Education is central to this issue because this is where you are really exposed to technology. Schooling is important because it is where you learn to use technology. If you did not have a decent education then the resources were not there for you to use. I know for myself, the first couple of grades in school was where I was first introduced to the computer. When you are in school, everyone has the opportunity to have experience with technology.
The challenges that internet voting and e-government play is that if people are not educated in technology they will possibly not know how to vote. People’s rights will be taken away from them because if they do not know how to use technology, they will not be able to be an active member in society. The role it can play is huge because it definitely affects society. Some people may have really good opinions and thoughts but they will not be able to express them if they do not know how to work technology. It is hard for the people that are technologically illiterate because in the world we live in now, technology is essentially.
The “democratization of new media” means that almost anyone with the means to access new media such as internet, phones, etc. can do so very easily. It’s just like the saying, “It’s so easy even a cave man can do it!” The new frontier of civil rights makes it so that everyone has equal ability to access new technology and the internet no matter what their race or gender. The key thesis underlying Wilheim’s argument on inequality is that curriculum’s of public education institutions are obligated to teach new technology to the younger generations and of the public education and governments to serve all peoples without discrimination. Education is central to the issue in the sense that technology is all around and what better place to learn about it and how to use it than school? The fact that public education institiutions are making it mandatory for students to learn how to use technology at a younger age shows how important technology really is. These students will know more than the generation I grew up in, in a couple of years. Internet voting and e-government play a big role in this because those that are eligible to vote need to be using these technologies in order to make an adequate decision. If they do not know how to use these technologies, they may not even be able to vote.
Democratization of new media means that anyone who can access the Internet is able to access all forms of media and technology. The new frontier of civil rights is trying to keep everyone equal in the new digital age and giving everyone the same access to different mediums. Wilheim’s key thesis is that curriculum of public education institutions are required to teach new technology to students and not show any discrimination based on gender, economic status, race, etc. Education is a central issue with this because not all schools have the same budgets so they may not be able to provide the technological education that another school could provide, which causes an inadequacy between the education that people receive because of the different economic level of different areas and could put some people in the younger generation at a disadvantage. He says that the right to receive a sound basic or adequate education in the twenty-first century means discarding outmoded notions of education and posting the underachieving urban student in a stat-of-the-art, nimble learning environment, supported by well-trained teachers, relevant curriculum, and modern information and communications tools. Internet voting and e-government can be a good thing when it comes to convenience but it also causes discrimination between people of different economic levels because they may not have the same access.
Wilheim asks us what does democratization of new media mean. It means that anybody can have access to technology whether it is the phone, internet, etc. The new frontier of civil rights allows people to have access to new technology no matter who they are. The key thesis underlying Wilheim’s argument is that everybody should be taught how to have access to the new technology. The power should not be limited to only certain people but to all this way nobody is being discriminated against. Education is central to this issue because it can relate to how schools use the phrase “no child left behind.” In this situation Wilheim does not want to leave anybody behind and gives everybody the capability to get taught and to learn the new technology. The challenges would be how information would be communicated. If people did not have the knowledge behind the new technology your internet voting would be affected because people would not know how to vote. You e-government would be affected as well because they are the backbone to the digital interactions between the government and citizens. If everybody did not have access to the new technology then communication would be limited that way as well.
Democratization of new media means that the internet and all new forms of technology are available to everyone. The new frontier for civil rights involves protecting people’s civil rights by providing them with equal access to all technology. Wilheim’s key thesis is all about education and technology. The idea is to teach the younger generation about technology and allows anyone to access technology without discrimination. Education is central to all of this because school is the common place that most people first have access to technology. In school, everyone has the same right to use the technology provided and it does not matter who the person is. Internet voting and e-government play a role in this people need to have an education involving technology, or they may not be able to vote. If technology keeps moving forward like it is, people may get left behind because they do not have the same advantages as others.
Democratization of “new media” means that anyone is able to access cyberspace and new forms of media and technology. The new frontier for civil rights is protecting the civil rights of all people and allowing them equal access to new technology and to cyberspace, regardless of defining characteristics such as race or gender. Willhelm’s key thesis is that curriculum’s of public education institutions are obligated to teach new technology to the younger generations and of the public education and governments to serve all peoples without discrimination. Education is the central issue because that is where every human, with access to technology, first learned what technology was and was also the place where they first used it. Everyone has the opportunity to learn and earn the right for technology no matter what characteristics he or she have or are. The challenges that internet voting and e-government play is that if people are not educated in technology they will possibly not know how to vote. People’s rights will be taken away from them because if they do not know how to use technology, they will not be able to be an active member in society. The role it can play is huge because it definitely affects society. Some people may have really good opinions and thoughts but they will not be able to express them if they do not know how to work technology. It is hard for the people that are technologically illiterate because in the world we live in now, technology is essentially.