CyberDemocracy

Different issues such as access, technological determinism, encryption, intellectual property, anarchy and ethnicity have been impacted by new communications technology. In the instance of encryption, the United States government has tried to secure its borders from terrorists who might use the Internet and threaten it. The case is made, though, that ordinary citizens have been improperly abused and had their civil rights violated worse by our own government than by terrorists. The author of this article believes that terrorism is an effect of government propaganda which convinces the American people that there are big, bad terrorists out there and by doing so, shields them from government abuse. Since this article was written in 1995, I wonder if Poster's opinion of terrorism has changed since then. We know now that terrorism is a reality and there are evil people out there who will attack us simply because we are Americans.

The article asks questions such as " will the telephone companies, the cable companies or some almalgam of both be able to secure adequate markets and profits from providing the general public with railroad timetables, five hundred channels of television, the movie of one's choice on demand, and so forth?" That question has already been answered and it is Yes! Telephone companies and cable companies and, in most instances, a combination of the two, have probably gained markets and profits by providing those very services. Can commodities be sold on the Internet and can it be used to function as an electronic retail store or mall? Again, the answer is Yes! Commodites are not only bought, but also auctioned and sold daily. Just about any product one might be interested in purchasing, can be purchased on the Internet. Since I live in a 120 year old house, I recently purchased antique looking light switch covers and register covers. I was unable to find them in a retail store, but found a fairly good selection online.

The Internet as a public sphere is discussed. Can the Internet take the place of town hall meetings? The Internet serves its purpose of bringing together people who would probably never have the opportunity to meet in person. They are able to discuss anything and everything, from politics and religion, to schools and child rearing. For some people, this may be the only form of public interaction they have. Others may participate in online chats and follow the latest political blunders and forums, but may also have an active life outside of the Internet. The Internet is great, but nothing totally takes the place of face to face conversation. Traditional town hall meetings may be something of the past, but there are still many other venues in which unorganized political discussions are held. Lunch groups, Rotary meetings, social and civic meetings, local churches, unions and around the water cooler are all places where unorganized, casual democratic meetings are held daily. Don't forget, this is America and we exercise our freedom of speech just about anywhere.