Internet and New Media

1
Internet and New Media

• Session 19

2
Why Wont the Internet Bring about Substantial
Change?

• Existing dominant players have adapted to the
  Internet
• The Internet is not an adequate tool for public
  political involvement

3
Why Might it Change Politics?

• The Medium is Unique
• It is One-to-One
• Face-to-face
• Telephone
• It is One-to-Many
• Radio
• Television
• Available as a communication medium to the
  average person, unlike radio, television, or
  print media
• It is Many-to-One
• One person may gather information from many
• Surveys, names and addresses

4

• The Medium is Unique (continued)
• Barriers to Entry
• No license from the Federal Communications
  Commission
• Email lists, bulletin board, list-serves
• Speed
• Faster than phone, fax, regular mail
• It Can Multiply Communication
• Like word of mouth but faster
• Cost
• The cost of computer and an account

5
Jefferson Meets the Jetsons What was Hoped

• The Cyber-Utopians
• End of the two-party system
• Microdemocracy
• Direct democracy
• Electronic town meetings
• Declining influence of big-money lobbyists
• Equalizing influence
• Greater access to information
• Activism/mobilization

6
Organizing, Lobbying, and Electioneering in
Cyberspace

• Where the cyber-utopians went wrong
• In Practice
• Political Parties
• Web pages allow flexibility
• The quality of the web presence depends on money
• Organization on the ground is also necessary
• Electoral impact is more difficult to discern
  than fundraising impact

7

• Candidates
• Avid supporters, the opponents camp, and the
  media visit
• Appeals to select supporters
• Fake left, run right
• Minimal backlash
• Interest Groups
• The same organizations that are active in the
  real world
• An opportunity for in-depth information

8
Lobbying with the Internet

• Communicating with members
• Quantity of information
• It is public unless password protected
• Lobbying government
• Communities of interests
• Mobilization Vehicle
• Mobilization-specific information

9
A Revolution?

• They could, but do they care?
• World of our own making
• The politics of size and place
• Haste makes waste
• An old solution

10
An Example

• Replacing the Towers