E-democracy in the context of the information society: prospects, challenges and opportunities

Many factors mark contemporary political processes. The peculiarities of the political system and regime largely determine them. The type of political process, which is characterized by social and political activity of persons and social groups, is democratic. The establishment of such a regime is characterized by gradual steps to introduce democratic principles into the political system, societal institutions, culture, and lifestyle. Such a peaceful transition to a democratic regime can be called democratization. In contemporary public policy, representatives of governing structures seek ways to develop forms of societal participation in decision-making processes. Meanwhile, interested groups, in turn, strive to enhance the quality and legitimacy of the policies enacted. Electronic democracy tools are not a reincarnation of former means of political communication. In such cases, it concerns democratization and the neoliberal ideology within civil society. In the virtual environment, electronic participation addresses the issue of societal involvement in political processes and the role of innovations as a whole. Political participation can be seen as a tool for democratization and authoritarian control, including influencing the electorate. The study aims to determine the role of e-democracy in contemporary post-industrial society and the degree of its practical technological implementation. The paper describes the content and role of e-democracy in post-industrial society. The authors analyzed the impact of information and communication technologies on the processes of electronic democratization. It has been shown that an active application of information technologies in everyday social life to form electronic democracy has led to both positive societal trends and negative social consequences.