How do you think mobile technology will change people’s relationship to government access and services? Will having government services and elected officials “on the go” make us more (or less) democratic as a society?
Mobile technology can make it easier to connect to services. Instead of spotting a problem and waiting to look up a phone number and make a call, pulling up the app and reporting it in the moment can make things easier for citizens. On the flip side, the department can get inundated with complaints or requests, potentially stemming from a few (or one) very concerned citizen. It sets up what could be a case of the person with the most complaints getting a response (or eventually getting blocked, though then it becomes a question of legality), especially if something goes viral on twitter or some other platform. Overall I think the technology can lead to greater transparency, which is always good for a democratic society, though society must be aware of the danger of the tyranny of the majority as elected officials struggle to respond to loud voices yelling into the electronic void.
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