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Public Spheres on the Internet: Anarchic or Government‐Sponsored – A Comparison
Author(s) -
Jensen Jakob Linaa
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
scandinavian political studies
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1467-9477
pISSN - 0080-6757
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9477.2003.00093.x
Subject(s) - democracy , the internet , politics , government (linguistics) , openness to experience , political science , deliberation , argumentation theory , enlightenment , moderation , public relations , political economy , sociology , psychology , law , social psychology , epistemology , linguistics , philosophy , world wide web , computer science
This article discusses whether the internet can contribute to strengthening democracy by creating new public spheres online. The focus is whether government‐sponsored initiatives are more successful than private ‘anarchic’ ones in shaping conditions for democratic dialogue. Two cases are examined and it is concluded that the government‐sponsored case in general is most successful in achieving democratic ideals of openness, respect, argumentation, enlightenment and deliberation. Three factors are crucial for the success of the former case: rules and moderation, a geographical affiliation and the presence of politicians. On the other hand, it is clear that political debate online is still an exclusive activity reserved mainly for the well educated and politically active. The internet's often‐claimed potential for mobilising new groups cannot be confirmed. Rather, the chosen few have got yet another opportunity to discuss and influence the political process.