ABSTRACT
With the explosive growth of information technology both in hardware (mobile phones, notebooks, and hand-held devices) and in software (social media, collaboration, and deliberative processes), citizen engagement with government has expanded and deepened. Expectations are that democratic processes will be improved. Most evaluations of citizen engagement have been inconclusive with respect to advancing or impeding democracy. Numerous issues in using new technology to engage systems have yet to be fully resolved. At the same time, modes of citizen engagement are becoming more diverse and efficient. Only time will tell where citizen engagement will evolve, but the future is quite promising.
