Stanford CIS

Emerging Governmediality - 1.000 Points of Data

By Christoph Engemann on

The New York Times runs an interesting Open-Ed piece by Kenneth M. Duberstein today: 1,000 Points of Data .

While it remains to be seen if governmental data is being made available in this manner such proposals voice what Boris Traue and I call governmediality. Governmental practices of governing populations and oneself are re-shaped through new media creating a novel intersection of official data and the practices of the individuals.

Such digital re-medialisation of the state aim's at an intensified and more reciprocal form of social relations, thereby strengthening and deepening the integration between state and citizens.

"Americans will be able to continually assess the state of the Union for themselves." writes Duberstein and it is exactly this what is both beneficial from a democratic perspective as it also entails a responsibilisation of citizens for the matters of the state.