Cyberrelations - reading UN links
The theoretical starting point of the study is the interrelation between globalization, cybergeography, and democracy; the more specific focus is on UN web sites. What is the case with the UN on the web? What are important issues and how is it best understood? I base the discussion on producer interviews and textual analysis of UN self-presentations (e.g hyperlinking, classifications, maps, and globalisms). I also look at the structure of the sites, why, for instance, is there not one single, central UN site? Who are the producers, is there a UN web master? The main purpose of the study is to examine how global (or cosmopolitical) the sites are, and to analyse how the United Nations is linked to the rest of the web. As a point of reference I make use of recent studies about web organizations such as portals, web rings, and resource center sites. I conclude the presentation by discussing whether the UN sites are web sites for world citizens or not. What types of civic action, if any, do the web sites encourage? I would also -if there is time - like to take the opportunity to discuss some problems I've had in applying the theory of cosmopolitan democracy on the sites (e.g. what is a cosmopolitan identity marker?).