Infomocracy

Infomocracy is a political story set in the near future. The world has fractured into a number of "microstates" that elect their own governments. The leadership can range from entities that look like today's political parties to corporations (like Phillip Morris) and even "Hello Kitty". "Information" is the readily accessible source of all information anybody could need.

The many parties are also vying for a "supermajority" that has additional power. The existing leadership has also talked about building a super fast transportation system that goes deep into the core of the earth. Others, however, have environmental concerns about this.

The story primarily follows a political operative for an "up and coming" party as well as an information worker that is trying to ensure that the upcoming elections are carried out properly. Things are running relatively smoothly, until a giant calamity hits Japan immediately before the election. This leads to a postponement and an investigation. Some electoral fraud is discovered, coming from "information" itself. The calamity is also found to be caused primarily by the actions of man.

"In this book, the plot is primarily a device to hold together a look at a possible future. Information becomes so accessible and abundant, but people don't know what to make of it. They split up into many small "echo chambers", ruled by their common interests. (The government is of the European parliamentary style, fitting the author's roots.) However, in spite (or perhaps because) of the preponderance of technology, people are prone to their shenanigans to grow power at the expense of others.