Westphalia in the Age of Social Media and Instant Communications

Abstract

Westphalian governance enhances its power by controlling information. Technical innovations of the Internet and social media have challenged this control. The atomization of individual communications has given everyone the opportunity to observe, comment, or criticize ongoing events, no matter how totalitarian the country. Westphalian governments can no longer fool all the people some of the time. People now demand accountability in government decisions and transparency is demanded, though not always accorded. The implications of instant communications have vast influence on people’s thinking in all the problems bedeviling the globe, especially on issues that affect them directly.