Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: The Information Age has created a profound paradigm shift that favors networked organizations over traditional hierarchies. This has caused a shift in the power of non-state actors relative to States. Using the Internet, networked organizations are able to communicate faster, cheaper, and further, increasing their membership and frustrating State supervision. However, the Internet has also strengthened the power of the State, by increasing its ability to distribute propaganda, process data, and engage in surveillance. This has caused many to conclude that the Internet actually strengthens authoritarian States. On the contrary, however, we should expect the horizontal flow of power to persist, thanks to the influence of other States.