Factors Causing E-Citizenship

It is possible to describe a great number of factors causing the transformation of citizen and citizenship terms. to define main factors, we can give the developments of technology, change in the understanding of administration, transformation of traditional state into e-state and the gradually increasing widespread use of e-state applications.

3.3.1. Developments in Technology

Technology is in a never-ending process of development with new inventions every day. However, these inventions not only help the technology renovate itself but as well cause alterations in the terms regarding the society and related fields along with unrelated fields. It can be concluded that as the invention of cultivator and steam engine had great benefit for agriculture and industrial communities respectively, that of computer and internet has brought about information communities.

Technology has swiftly changed for almost half century, which has great impact on daily lives.

States have also been influenced with the use of information and communication technology that has

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infiltrated virtually every part of life; moreover, individuals inevitably find themselves in this extensive compulsory change. The invention of computer, cell phone and internet with widespread use of these utilities has led everything to digitalization such as trade, book, magazine, state, e-municipality etc. Citizens benefiting from these services are in transformation because of digitalization of service sector (Balci and Kirilmaz, 2009: 46; Engin and Sarsar, 2015: 152).

Modern era underestimates the term of location owing to the rapid spread of information and communication. Communities throughout the world can communicate via internet anytime and exchange information as well as seeking their rights by organizing in virtual world. Therefore, Smith categorized the citizen of digital world as digital citizens (e-citizen) (Karaduman and Ozturk, 2014: 41;

Kirisik and Sezer, 2015: 200). Additionally, prior to 1990s, information and communication technologies were used to gain maximum efficiency in administrative and inherent activities of public administration and to ease the activities; however, the invention of the internet changed the presentation of the public services externally (Kirisik and Sezer, 2015: 203). The widespread use of internet gradually has contributed the states that the services has started to be presented via internet as a result of which citizens have become more and more dependent on internet which makes e-citizenship a compulsory phenomenon.

3.3.2. The New Public Management Approach

As mentioned above there is a close relationship between public administration and citizen. Therefore, it is pointed out that new understanding of public administration has made great contribution to e-citizen and e-e-citizenship as the change in new public management approach, structure and offerings of public services will inevitably result in transformation of citizen and citizenship terms which have interblended with public administration.

Since the last quarter of 20^th century, traditional public administration has been replaced with the new public management approach. Al stated that this is not a simple transformation; instead, it represents the beginning of radical changes in public administration (2002: 133-135).

New public management approach includes principles such as citizen-friendly, prioritizing citizen satisfaction, considering the demands and expectation of the citizens and allowing citizens to participate and inspect (Okcu, 2012: 14; Ozer, 2005: 4). The relations between state and citizen has been subject to great transformation as a result inactive citizen who are excluded from politics become active members of politics (Zencirkiran, 2012: 29). Therefore, citizens begin to ask for more public good and services which are suitable for their demands (Al, 2002: 127). New public management approach has led to a transformation of citizen role in which they will inspect the quality and presentation of public services as to whether these services are performed on time.

Therefore, traditional terms such as hierarchy, formality, inactive citizen have been replaced with new terms governance, collective administrating, citizen satisfaction and active citizen. The newly designed process force the state and citizens to influence each other, work and perform collectively (Eren, 2003: 66; Ates, 2003:327).

3.3.3. Spreading of E-State and E-State Applications

Transformation of traditional state into e-state has resulted from gradual increase of technological innovations followed by the development of information technology. Having been directly offered by bureaucracy with face to face modality, a great number of public services are now available in digital world. Beginning in the 1990s, this transformation is now gearing up. Initially, e-state applications were just information conveyors, yet they have helped the citizens participate in as well as performing online operation via internet now. Although individuals used to have access to very few public services via internet, they can perform virtually every public service nowadays. Furthermore, there are some services that can only be accessed via e-state. For instance, people in Turkey can get the information about their genealogical research only through e-state. The transformation of the term citizenship has become inevitable due to the e-state applications, because e-state becomes the unique element where one can make use of constant public services effectively. E-citizenship is the only way with which one can utilize e-state efficiently.

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E-state offers prominent opportunities such as cost-efficiency, of good quality service with sustainable resource management; on the other hand, e-citizenship also saves time, money and labor and brings complete satisfaction and security in addition to opportunity to join in politics. That is why limiting e-state applications only to using technology in just administration will underestimate the real value of e-state applications. Furthermore, e-state applications involve philosophical conversion.

Therefore, it is widely accepted that e-state applications have changed the citizens into a partner in administrating process rather than a basic element of chain in the public good and service. E-state has a great number of various applications such as reaching information and documents in digital world regardless of time and location, participating is politics using electronic communication tools, paying taxes, fine and bills as well as getting personal data. These all force us to think that citizenship will ultimately transform into e-citizenship (Balci and Kirilmaz, 2009: 51-56).

Turkey commenced the e-state applications at the end of 1990s because internet was available to public in 1993 and public-net project conducted by Prime Ministry began to be in use across the public institutions. Some public institutions started to present public services via internet; namely, it can be stated that Turkey has started to transform from traditional into e-state since then. The onset of the 21^st century witnessed the further widespread use of e-state applications. The project of e-state gateaway made it possible to perform some of the e-state applications through single website in December 2008. Citizens can currently have access to virtually all e-state applications in contrast to the past when only few applications citizens took advantage of. The e-state applications involve not only those of central administration but also those of local administration. Citizens can also have rapid access to e-state applications through their portable devices providing mobile applications more easily and effectively. On the other hand, it has resulted that citizens are obliged to make use of these devices efficiently. Therefore, as the number of e-state applications increases, it has become a necessity that traditional citizenship transforms into e-citizenship. The success of e-state is beyond expectation unless citizens possess adequate equipment and experience namely ability to perform e-citizenship.

Countries such as Denmark and Finland where widespread use of internet is available provide their citizens efficient benefit of e-state. (Sevinc and Sahin, 2013: 198-199; Naralan, 2008: 462-463).

4. Conclusion

Technology has resulted several changes throughout the history. Traditional public service presentation has been replaced with e-state because of widespread use of information and communication technology since 1950s. Beginning to present e-state applications at the end of 1990s, Turkey has developed its ability involve almost all the applications for about 20 years. Not only e-states but also citizens take advantage of e-state applications effectively as the number of e-state applications increases and are widely used. Furthermore, e-state applications allow citizens to reach effective and rapid public services.

As the transformation of traditional state into e-state improves, that transformation occupies more space in the lives of citizen resulting the term of e-citizenship to emerge. Citizens need to digitalize so that they can make use of effective and constant public services presented in digital world.

Therefore, it has become a must that citizens must transform themselves into e-citizens. However, it seems that this transformation bears difficulties. A short computer facility training would not help citizens get necessary experience and knowledge to fully complete the transformation. Some requirements such as fund, infrastructure as well as technical information are obligation so that digital citizenship can succeed a reliable transformation. to sum up, extensive public policies related to digital citizenship must be introduced so that states will be able to recognize a rapid real-life applications of these policies.

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Osman Nacak

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