Digital Democracy: Discourse and Decision Making in the Information Age

Rating:
Summary: Internet seems to enable more involvement
Review: This year, 2004, gives an interesting take on the book, if you consider the unfolding US Presidential campaign, and the previous 2000 campaign. As Americans increasingly get wired up, the major parties are increasingly using the Internet to build up and expand their base. Plus, it enables challengers like Howard Dean to aggressively solicit supporters.

All these give an affirmative to the broad thrust of the book's speculations. It does indeed appear that the Internet/Web is an enabling of far broader grassroots participation in democracy.

When the book discusses the live broadcasting of the British Parliament on TV, it turns out such events have had lesser impact on people. Partly because, like the radio broadcasts which British and Australian Parliaments have had for years, these attract only a small audience of diehards.

In part, this might be due to those being broadcast media. Whereas, with the interactive nature of the Internet, with things like email, to some people this may be far more attractive.