Character education, new media, and political spectacle

Ontario's new Character Development Initiative is analyzed to determine whether it can be characterized as political spectacle. Examination of official policy texts, media reports, speeches, web pages, webcasts, and events at the Character Development Symposium suggests that the Initiative contains many elements of political spectacle; however, the policy has received little coverage in traditional media. Media coverage is considered as an essential component of political spectacles. In this case, media coverage is limited to digital media produced by the Ontario government itself. This raises questions about the implications of new media forms for the theory of political spectacle. I demonstrate that digital media offer new means for bringing political spectacles to citizens and enable governments to have greater control over their content. Since political spectacles facilitated by traditional media promote the status quo and make critical analysis of public policy difficult, government-produced digital media might put democracy at even greater risk. Alternatively, government websites post texts that can be analyzed by citizens and used to promote democracy in education. I conclude that the strategic use of language and illusions of democracy, whether brought to citizens through digital or traditional media, are essential components of political spectacle.