1 - Digitizing the Citizen and Government

Summary

THE EXISTENTIAL ROLE OF DIGITIZATION

Digitization is a fascinating phenomenon whose impact on society can hardly be overestimated. Many key societal and economic processes have come to rely heavily on ICT systems – systems that are essentially based on infinite series of zeros and ones. These simple digits are capable of converting analogue signals representing texts, images and sounds into digital versions of the same. One noteworthy feature of digitization is the relative ease with which users can gather, store, search, and share information, resulting in an unparalleled range of new products, services and applications. And it can all be done at breakneck speed: a mere mouse click and information available on the Internet can be shared with others on Twitter, Facebook, blogs or other websites. Businesses, public authorities and non-profit organisations fill whole databases, online or otherwise, with data relating to the widest possible variety of subjects, from purchasing behaviour to non-payers and from DNA markers to the fingerprints of the entire population of the Netherlands. Digital information is developing into a universal language that is making the world a much smaller place than it was before. The fact that information is so easy to replicate can even produce global shockwaves, as illustrated by the WikiLeaks affair in late 2010 – described as “the first sustained confrontation between the established order and the culture of the internet” (Naughton 2010b).

The effects of digitization are huge – and extremely varied. WikiLeaks embodies its disruptive power (whether one regards that power in a positive or negative light), but its influence in more ‘traditional’ contexts, including government, is also enormous. It is no wonder that the public sector is eager to reap the benefits of ICT along with everyone else. An impressive array of digitization projects have been rolled out in recent years in the broad territory covered by government. These are meant to improve government's service delivery and to optimise the way public servants and public services operate – and cooperate – in government's back office. Changes in service delivery are likely to make the biggest impression on the public. Nowadays, citizens wishing to call on public services can often access them digitally. Almost every local authority allows permit applications and requests for copies of official records to be submitted via its website. Indeed, sometimes that is the only option available.