Internet has no takers among legislators in IT capital

By M. Gautham Machaiah

The internet is fast emerging as a popular tool among the political community in the developed world, particularly the United States. Though Indian political parties too have effectively employed the internet in recent elections, the World Wide Web has evoked little or no interest among the legislators in Karnataka.

Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka prides itself as the Silicon Valley of India. The State is often referred to as the powerhouse of Information Technology (IT). However, despite the increasing utilisation of technology by the political class globally, the law makers of Karnataka do not fancy IT.

As a result, the usage of the internet and e-mail is abysmally low among them. This is the conclusion of the thesis, Media Habits of Legislators: A Case Study of Karnataka MLAs and MLCs, for which the author was awarded the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by the University of Mysore.

Internet in US polls

Various studies indicate that in the United States, the internet is set to become the most potent instrument in election campaigning, with distinct capabilities surpassing those offered by the traditional media. The 2000 US presidential election marked the first full-fledged online election campaign, although the use of the internet for political campaigns began earlier.

Through the 2000 presidential online campaigns, the web showed its potential as an effective political campaign tool. It gave presidential candidates a multi-faceted form of communication, primarily involving persuasion to vote for them. Practitioners not only raised money online, but also attracted volunteers and involved people in political campaigns through interactive web sites.

A study reported in the Public Relations Quarterly, elucidates the role of the internet in American politics: “From the public relations perspective, presidential candidates can gain almost unlimited access and visibility and maintain total control of the message at less expense. Interactive web sites allow candidates to finely target an audience and communicate with them directly through direct e-mail. They involve real time interaction and a sense of community. They are dynamic, not static. Step-by-step on the campaign trail, candidates have been using the internet to build relationships with voters through symmetric two-way communications, especially, with younger voters.”

According to a study by the The Pew Internet and American Life Project, during the 2004 presidential polls, there were an estimated 3,000 web sites devoted to the election, with roughly 75 million Americans using the internet to connect to politics.

Over the years, the internet’s impact on the American political system has been profound. In their book, Campaigning Online: The Internet in U.S. Elections, Bruce A. Bimber and Richard Davis, note: “ The internet—a term that was not even in the public lexicon a decade ago—has captured the attention of the media, the government, and many of the public. It has changed the way many Americans receive information and communicate.”

Internet in UK elections

While in the US, the internet’s influence was felt way back during the 1996 elections, in the United Kingdom it was not until 2001 that politicians discovered the power of the web. The UK Hansard Society's report on the internet in the UK elections, described the 2001 general polls as the first internet elections of the country.

According to the report, though the 2001 election was not fought on the internet, the web played a peripheral, but significant role—especially for younger voters.

While 18 per cent of the voters with internet access used the net as an information resource, 21 per cent of online 18-24 year-olds used the net to find out what the parties stood for.

While in the 2001 elections, none of the parties had an online strategy, during the 2005 polls, both the Tories and the Liberals embarked on a more systematic net campaign which involved sending direct e-mails to voters.

Internet in Indian elections

According to the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), internet is the fastest expanding medium in India with the growth expected to accelerate in the coming years.

Predictably in India too, politicians have over the years successfully harnessed the internet, particularly to address the apathetic urban electorate. While the 1999 general elections saw the application of internet to politics for the first time, the 2004 polls saw the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) unleashing a full-fledged online campaign.

The Congress, for instance, hired a company to compile a database of 8,00,000 e-mail addresses to send campaign slogans, letters and pictures of candidates, while the BJP set up an exclusive unit to monitor e-campaigning.

Karnataka was among the States which pioneered the use of internet in politics, with Mr Ananth Kumar, a member of the Parliament form Bangalore (South), becoming the first parliamentarian in the country to launch his personal website, in the mid-nineties.

Against the backdrop of Karnataka emerging as the undisputed leader of Information Technology in the country, this study explores the exposure of the legislators of the State to the internet.


E-governance policy

Karnataka is one of the first States in the country to recognise and exploit the potential of Information Technology.

The policy statement on e-governance released by the Karnataka Government says: “Use of IT in government facilitates an efficient, speedy and transparent process for disseminating information to the public and other agencies, and for performing government administration activities. The government of Karnataka believes that effective implementation of e-governance will take IT to the common man. The government would like to be pro-active and responsive to all its citizens, particularly the poor.”

One of the most successful initiatives of the Government is the much acclaimed Bhoomi project, where all land records were computerised. Bangalore One, another successful venture which enables the people to pay all their utility bills online at one point, is also touted as a major success.


High computer penetration

In keeping with its IT-savvy image, the Karnataka government allots a computer to all its legislators. As such, the computer penetration among them is almost 100 per cent. In most cases, the computers have remained a show piece or are used by the personal assistants.

Thus, the exposure of the legislators to a new media like the internet is negligible. A majority of 76 per cent of the legislators do not surf the net, though internet connectivity is available both at the Legislators’ Home and in their constituencies.

Even among the small band of internet users, the frequency of usage is extremely low, with 86.1 per cent stating that they surf the net occasionally. Only 13.9 per cent of the users visit the web regularly.

The study also indicates that even the amount of time spent by those who log onto the net is extremely low. Only 25 per cent among the surfers spend one hour and above on the net. While 38.9 per cent surf the net for 30 minutes to one hour, 36.1 per cent hook on for less than 30 minutes.

Nationally, the average time spent on the internet by Indians has seen an increase. According to the Indian Readership Survey, which tracks media consumption, the time spent on the internet has increased from 58 minutes on weekdays in July-December, 2003 to 63 minutes in the same period during 2005.

Another indication of the lack of interest in the World Wide Web is the number of sites visited by the legislators. Though the internet offers thousands of sites, a majority of 83 per cent regularly surf only one or two sites.

The legislators also do not believe in the efficacy of a modern communication tool like the e-mail, with a majority of them preferring the personal touch. According to the legislators with the internet penetration being low in rural areas, the e-mail has virtually no role to play in interacting with the constituents.

Similarly, the legislators also display a disdain towards Information Technology. An analysis of the legislators’ news preferences indicates that IT is way down their priority list.

With a majority of the legislators disinclined towards the internet and the interest levels being low even among those who visit the web, the study concludes that IT holds no fascination for the legislators of Karnataka.

A silver lining

While the response to the internet is marked by a general lack of interest among the legislators, there are some exceptions like Mr K. Chandrashekar, MLA from Basavanagudi in Bangalore, who have exploited technology to the fullest.

The MLA has set up a website, which provides complete details of all households in his constituency. The interactive site also enables the constituents to update information like pot holes on roads or fused street lamps. This helps the legislator to receive feedback and initiate corrective measures. The MLA also uses the internet to study the traffic management system and infrastructure projects in different parts of the world.

Indeed a silver lining in the cloud.