The Internet Magnifies Democracy
Cass Sunstein wrote in The Daily We: Is the Internet really a blessing for democracy? that in a free republic, citizens aspire to a system that provides a wide range of experiences—with people, topics, and ideas—that would not have been selected in advance. Sunstein further goes into details about how the internet can both promote and hamper individual ideas. While the internet may produce two extremes of democratic practices, I feel the internet has only magnified democracy and its core purposes. Simply put, the internet offers a wider and larger medium to exchange ideas, which promotes democracy. No other form of communication allows uncensored direct interaction between people - not TV, not the radio, not the newspaper. These other forms of media allow for editing and censorship, while the internet can foster an environment that truly represents freedom of speech. While some bureaucrats may not like the additional freedom of speech and the collaboration of "factions" on issues, the internet has already proven, through the use of internet campaigns, to become an effective tool and medium for the growth of democracy.
The internet does promote democracy, right? Or is it just a tool for dating services?
2 Comments:
I fully agree with you, my fellow cali voice out here in D.C., democracy is cultivated by the internet... And besides link-minded people are not like-minded people in every aspect and eventually they will disagree, so Sunstein’s point about the absence of arguments leading to the phenomenon of group polarization is absurd. In addition, Sunstein’s view of people’s need to belong is extreme and incredibly juvenile. On the one hand, yeah, of course everyone wants to fit in and have friends, but it’s more complicated than that. We seek out those people that we feel comfortable with and seem to share some sort of common ground, we don’t automatically turn chameleon and attempt to blend in to every environment we encounter. Great job on your first posting! You're a natural!!
People will never be totally isolated from other sources of media. While Sunstein's point can be understood, his argument is rather hard-line. He's not taking into consideration many of the arguments Jenkins mentioned in his counter article.
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