Among various arguments quoted about the development of new
information technologies, there is a popular vision of the average citizen
empowered by new media technologies, able to communicate honestly
and directly, challenging established power and planning political
actions that advance democracy [8]. If Gutenberg’s Bible weakened the
power of the church by passing the holy script to ordinary people for
their own interpretation, connection to the Internet and the increasing
penetration of overseas broadcasting may also open a Pandora’s Box,
where the government relies on information control to maintain its
legitimacy and authority. All these contradictory manifestations of the
new media are, however, inevitable consequences of the rise of new
media technologies, the sudden winning of media freedoms and the
proliferation of satellite and cable television. In times to come, they will
surely be tempered by the demands of the economy and democracy
and learn to become as responsible and accountable as the other pillars
of the modern nation-state.