What is Internet Governance?
What is Internet Governance?
Internet governance is a broad space. It is both academic and political. It is the governance of the Internet, which is determined through collaboration and consensus by various members of the ‘Internet community.’ The Internet community are those who build the evolving Internet. This community is multistakeholder and allows each stakeholder to have an equal say and voice opposed to a hierarchical system within broader governance structures. Broadly speaking, when there is a question of Internet coordination, access, or safety on the Internet, which a broad and diverse group of stakeholders are called upon to fix, this becomes Internet governance.
How Does Internet Governance differ from other forms of Global Governance initiatives?
Most governance utilizes the multilateral model. Alternatively, Internet governance uses the multistakeholder model. This governance model allows for quick decisions to be made for the coordination of the Internet. Since the Internet is global, its coordination has to reach consensus globally, too.
How does multistakeholderism differ from multilateral governance systems?
The multistakeholder model allows every stakeholder an equal footing in developing policies and coordination strategies for the future of the Internet. This means stakeholders from government, the private sector, civil society, academia, and the technical community all have an equal say and voice. In a multilateral governance system, these groups might be represented for expert analyses, however, power would rest with government actors to make final decisions. Multistakeholderism broadens the policymaking process allowing the Internet to develop robustly without becoming netted into the complexities international governance processes might lead to.
Within multistakeholderism there is a gap. Because stakeholder groups are determined by one’s career–and potentially their seniority in said career to represent their organization at multistakeholder Internet governance spaces and forums–this then excludes those who are not in a career path. This is most acutely felt by youth who are wide users of the Internet, but might not have a stakeholder group to participate in.
What makes Youth a stakeholder group?
The multistakeholder model rests on stakeholder groups recognized by their professional status within organizations. For youth, this becomes precarious for our involvement. We might still be students, thereby not yet starting our careers. In other contexts, we might be building out our careers and uncertain where they will take us, thereby not knowing which stakeholder group to fall into. In this uncertainty, youth become a stakeholder group in themselves. Internet governance, like all forms of collaborative decision-making, requires the energetic and passionate support of youth. It is in youth’s involvement that the constantly evolving future might be molded.