New media continue to dominate our lives. How many of us could function in the workplace without access to e-mail and internet research? It has even reached the point where many of us would prefer to speak to the person sitting next to us in the office via computer rather than face to face.
This year's New Statesman New Media Awards attracted more than 400 entries. Many of the websites nominated showed extraordinary ingenuity in finding new ways to make users' lives easier. The success of these sites, shown by the number of visits to them, suggests that the public welcomes the opportunities they present to keep in touch and up to date.
As happens with any form of new media, there has been much hype surrounding its use, including many predictions of social doom. Concerns abound about the amount of time that we spend in front of the computer, the erosion of our social skills, the possibility that, very soon, we shall be unable to communicate with each other without technological assistance.
But the reality is that new media can make a positive difference to people's lives. Information technology is no longer the preserve of scientists or precocious adolescents. It has the capacity genuinely to benefit both communities and special interest groups. Links can be forged so that anyone, anywhere in the world, need no longer struggle alone.
The NS Awards, now in their third year, aim to nurture those projects that make a real effort to reach out. This year, the accent was on what is known as the "digital divide". It is a term that is often misused. A socio-economic issue, it refers to the gap between those of us who have access to new technology and those who don't.
There is still a significant proportion of people in the UK who - for lack of money or education, or because of their basic mistrust of new technology - do not have access to the services that it provides. Over the next five years, the government wants to foster "access for all". However, if this is to be achieved, the digital divide has to be acknowledged and new solutions found.
For each of the six New Media Awards, credit has been given to those individuals or organisations that are working to ensure ease of access to information for all sections of society. Mike Bracken (pages iv and ix) sees two ways forward. First, he argues, we need a greater investment in government technology systems, so that MPs can better understand and represent our needs. Even though 80 per cent of MPs use the net for up to ten hours a week at home, few of them have websites that provide effective services to their constituents.
Second, services need to be made available on TV - services that are easy to use and can be accessed "from the sofa".
Information technology is increasingly part of the school curriculum, internet cafes increasingly part of the global cultural scene. But in politics and public affairs, the use of the technology is still in its infancy. Some websites, notably the Inland Revenue's, are poor. The technology has great potential, but the danger is that it becomes another barrier to democratic participation for those already excluded.
The NS awards are intended to encourage and recognise potential. But if there is to be real progress, there must be greater commitment at all levels: in Whitehall, Westminster, town or county hall, and council chamber.
