| State use of new communication technologies (NCTs) has been the focus of much work in the social sciences, including geography and communication. Much of the work focuses on one of two points, the emancipatory possibilities of NCTs or the heightened power for societal surveillance NCTs provide state and corporate interests. Technology users are conceived of in terms of the powerful or the non-empowered (usually individuals, social movements, and non-governmental organizations).; However, there are states in the world-system lacking power vis-a-vis hegemonic powers (including nation-states, supranational organizations, and multilateral agreements). Slovenia's use of the NCTs must be analyzed in the context of its position in the world-system. As a successor state of the former Yugoslavia, it has strategic goals that NCTs are deployed to facilitate. These include increasing international tourism receipts, garnering greater shares of foreign direct investment, and acceding to international organizations such as the North Atlantic Treat Organization and the European Union. This dissertation examines the efforts of ministries and government offices in the Slovenian government from 1999–2003, incorporating interviews with public relations officers and web designers to understand the technology adoption of various state apparatuses addressing Slovenia's strategic goals. The analysis incorporates three theoretical perspectives: (1) medium theory's emphasis on unintended consequences of technology will be present in Slovenia's application of NCTs, (2) that an NCT such as the Internet can be analyzed through the lens of the social construction of space, particularly Lefebvre's triad of spaces, (3) social semiotics and the situating of texts such as government websites in the political-economic system they are created and consumed within, including the dominant ideological systems of the time.; The research demonstrates that (1) the actors deploying NCTs have varying understanding of the technology, the strategic goals they are pursuing, and different approaches to technology adoption, (2) the image constructed via NCTs contributes to the geopolitical image of Slovenia, and (3) the webpages reflect the dominant ideology of transnational liberalism, as opposed to resisting it, while simultaneously articulating a specifically Slovenian view of itself in the world-economy. |
