Myth and Cyberspace
Government plays an enormous role in manufacturing cyberspace magic because much of its legitimacy today is based on identification with this future wave. This is certainly understandable. The transfer of power from government to the private sector in the last 30 or so years and the spread of free trade, deregulation, and the creation of global trading blocs administered by private-sector-controlled bodies has diminished the authority of national government substantially. Much of government's activity is now taken up with the "dirty work" of dealing with policing (both domestic and international) and providing what limited social services it can budget for those who cannot afford the private provision of education, health care, and other infrastructure services. One of the few areas left for it to establish a genuine, universally recognized allure is with the new technology. As a result, governments scramble to spend money attracting high-technology companies, putting computers in schools, expanding business and household access, and whatever it takes to strengthen identification with new technologies. Today a political photo opportunity often includes a computer, with a political figure demonstrating beneficence. Where they once burst champagne bottles against the bows of new ships or cut the ribbon on a new steel plant, politicians are now more likely to be pictured with the totems of cyberspace.
Vincent Mosco -- The Digital Sublime