It may also alter the way representative government works by making it possible for individuals to vote on all issues - direct democracy on a very large scale. Those who see republican democracy as a less pure form of government than direct democracy may see today's telecommunications technology as ideal, while those who view republican democracy as the preferred form may feel uneasy about the changes. Elected representatives already use technology to monitor perceptions of their performance among those whom they represent, and well organized groups use communications technology to lobby their agendas. It may already be the case that those with access via technology have disproportionately more influence on the processes of government. If this is true today, then the unforeseen technologies and their effects tomorrow make it even more requisite for educators and educational institutions to ensure technological literacy in their students, and to prepare them to encounter both the effects and the implications of communications technology on the workings of government.
Technology affects both the content of the social studies and how the social studies are taught.
The differences in technology found between schools and in classrooms within schools, compounded by the differences in technology skills among teachers, affect the degree of technology integration and the way technology is integrated. Individual teachers are the key to successful integration of technology into the learning opportunities of children. Teachers need the support of good technology planning and staff development opportunities to stimulate and enhance the use of technology in their classrooms and to build a foundation for successful mastery of technology for themselves and their students.