To remain competitive in a global society, nations must remain receptive to new technology and ideas. Knowledge is power, and information is one source of knowledge that gives power. According to Swerdlow (1995), repressive governments that attempt to control information are finding it increasingly difficult to do so. In China and Burma, government propaganda machines indoctrinated their soldiers to believe that student demonstrators were foreigners or Communists who were trying to take over the country. The soldiers, believing that they were defending their country, opened fire on the student demonstrators. They did not learn until later that the students were fellow countrymen demonstrating for democracy. Romania tried, but failed, to ban the use of typewriters in an attempt to suppress information. Information gained through technology continually assaults authority. Free-flowing information nurtures democracy.
Technology also affects democratic governments. Politicians are perfecting 5-second sound bites and eye-catching visual messages. People want fast, frequent, and abbreviated news rather than lengthy, in-depth analysis. Government officials, academic experts, and policy makers have less effect on decisions, whereas public opinion, informed through various media, plays a larger role in public policy and diplomacy.
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