Through the advancement of these policies, Korea continues to evolve into a digitalized community. Each member of the Korean society is subject to the governing body’s influence, and therefore the interests of the ruling class soon become distilled unto those in the civil sector. The interesting aspect to be seen is this relation in respect to advanced technologies that digitize cultural and societal relations. For example, during the last presidential election, the development strategies of past administrations that have created an increasingly digital lifestyle in part allowed Roh Moo Hyun, who was not backed by mainstream media or the nation’s conglomerates to win candidacy. Mainly because of buzz created in chat rooms and support drummed up on fan websites. This is a great example of how interactive and fluctuating the relationships of power are. One generational government creates policies to develop technology which in turn allows the next generation to induct a new administration.
As the government is continuing to advocate a more informative society, mostly in which the Korean people support, what remains to be analyzed are the ensuing societal implications that result from this ultra-globally competitive admin that aggressively markets itself while propagating a digitized style of life. The e-Korea vision states that “the promotion of informatization in all aspects of society will lead to an increased effectiveness of all socio-economic activities, higher national performance, and higher quality of life.” And it is cyberspace that will become the space where people enjoy this higher quality of life. As Korea gets more wired, each citizen will be able to enjoy a culturally enriched life as a result of high quality digital contents delivered by digital television and the Internet.
The Korean government also prescribes to a similar perspective to that of the DOI. The administration understands the importance of ICTs and has been rushing to develop this sector in its economy. The e-Korea vision notes that “the usage and application of information and communication technologies will create a comfortable and convenient environment;” as well as commenting on the fact that “enhanced productivity of all industries through the utilization of information and communication technologies will enhance their global competitiveness.”
The administration’s objectives in this focus of expanding opportunities brought by information and communication technologies include the following:
To expand Internet usage to 90% of the overall population
To connect schools to a world-class information infrastructure
To raise the participation rate of the life-long learning system to the level of OECD member nations
The Korean government holds a belief that ‘analog’ systems are lagging and will eventually create a hindrance to the digital revolution. But what if these systems continue to be analog? Will they wipe-them from existence…a sort of digital deletion of traditional systems. The ruling powers obsessed with competing in modernity will take whatever steps necessary to ensure their vision materializes. For example, in order for the government to build industrial parks, they will reclaim farmland. This offers an examples of digitization making analog practices obsolete.
Even though they speak of national community, their proposed hopes are for an autonomous community. These autonomous communities, however, exist together in the digital realm. Physically autonomous but digitally connected in the growing digitization of Korea. People are getting online more and now businesses are marketing themselves frequently online instead of using traditional contact methods. For example, the use of global headhunter companies leads to recruitment practices with the absence of physical contact. This promotion of community with aims to increase legitimacy through internet advertisement by companies and strengthened marketing activities demonstrates Korea's trend of using digitization instead of traditional contacts. As the Korean public is logging online for necessary transactions, businesses as well as the government are marketing their ideas to the consumer population.
An interesting possible consequence presents itself through Korea’s government to completely digitalize itself. Take for example the goal of “establishing an online learning system that will be accessible anytime, anywhere, and by anyone.” The children who undergo this type of learning will develop certain habits in regards to using computers and information technology. Like being weaned on a bottle, it will be hard to break that habit. I am hypothesizing that the omniscient digitalization in these kids’ lives are creating lasting psychological affects. It is not hard to imagine an adolescent conditioned under distance learning programs to come to accept their computer as the most important source of their attention. Addiction would surely set in. Children raised under the influence of a system whose government promotes every convenience afforded through the internet would come to develop a certain affinity for that technology. When the government’s desire to have every home wired and every individual connected to the internet, then they are creating an environment in danger of high rates of addiction in my opinion. Let's not forget the administration’s promotion of lifelong learning systems. Continuous availability, coupled with a push for habitual use can only lead to one thing in my mind: addiction.
It’s no wonder that when the Slammer virus shut down Internet service for several hours in Korea in January 2003, the whole country suffered from withdrawal symptoms. Statistically speaking, some 10% of the general population and 40% of 13- to 18-year-olds are addicted to the Net, says Dr. Kim Hyun Soo, Korea's professional society for psychologists specialized in treating Internet addiction. "I have seen kids who have not left the house for two years," he says. SOURCE
Other potential maladjustments arise when the social human animal is pushed to be social only in terms of the virtual world. The government may think it has solved social strife with the amount of convenience created through its e-government, but a rebellious subculture is beginning to proliferate. For example, “whole subclasses of young men without real jobs form online gangs that rage across digital landscapes, pillaging villages and robbing other virtual characters of their possessions.” SOURCE This a comment on the explosive subscription by Koreans to online games, not surprising since gamers are taking advantage of the awesomely wired state of the nation.
The government may only be beginning to realize the deep-seeded psychological behaviorism associated with a digital society. While 26 million of the 48 million people in South Korea are personal internet users and some 11 million homes, or 70% of the total, have broadband accounts, it’s not surprising that behaviorism is being affected by this increased digitization. The ubiquitous of the internet has increased online contact among users, and the chat medium is a highly preferable form of communication. "However, much of the chatting is, predictably, about sex. This has ultimately led to a proliferation of teenage prostitution and infidelity by housewives. According to state officials, prostitution by young girls is now 100% Internet-based. The divorce rate is soaring as 60% of divorces caused by infidelity involve partners who met through the Net. Benjamin Fulford, likens the situation in Korea right now to what happened when its highway system was first built and traffic fatalities soared in the absence of clear rules and norms." SOURCE