Distance refers to the immense freedom of access the Internet can provide to its users. The greater the ease with which the public can interact with government, the more they will. Little, nagging questions that never seemed important enough to really look into can suddenly be asked because asking is so easy. Questions that seem strange or unusual can now be asked without any face to face contact that might be embarrassing. Ease in access changes the business of government.
Community activism changes from the dedicated few to the clamoring many.
This loss of distance inherent to the medium is just as frightening as the loss of boundary. Our idea of government must change to include less distance and fewer boundaries. The Next Step There is a great movement for businesses to get wired, and the impetus is competition-a sufficient reason to break down these barriers of understanding and force change. We need to demand municipal government access, to force the change that is so difficult, and to offer our help and encouragement. We need to push our institutions to realize boundary and distance will change, and that we want them to.