Parmi les inconditionnels, certains pensent que les nouvelles technologies, Internet en tête, finiront par éliminer les États-nations; les sceptiques, bien évidemment, en doutent, mais reconnaissent que les techniques modernes allègent les contraintes de temps et de distance.
On one side, the " digital optimists" believe that new technologies, exemplified by the Internet, will transform society completely and ultimately lead to the elimination of nation states. On the other side, the " digital sceptics" take a more cautious approach and see change as more incremental, though they acknowledge that new technologies have altered the traditional constraints of time and distance.