ABSTRACT
The central dialogue in the political process is concerned with the allocation of power in society, bearing in mind the many meanings which the term power can subsume. In an information-dependent society, power tends to be associated with knowledge and information. More and more institutions have had to operate in the open where information regarding their operations, their products, and practices is available to, or demanded by, various public interest groups. Most of the strategic military effectiveness of a closed society's secrecy is lost through transmitting information over electrical communications channels. New sources of competitiveness may also fragment attitudes formed via new information and communication technologies. In terms of specific impacts on the political process in the next decade, it seems likely that the communications aspect of the information environment will play the greater role. Governmental and other institutional elites perceive threats in the growth of information dissemination via the technological changes in the media.
