Book: The myth of digital democracy
The Myth of Digital Democracy
by Matthew Hindman
Princeton University Press, 2008
Paperback, 198 pages
by Matthew Hindman
Princeton University Press, 2008
Paperback, 198 pages
Abstract:
Is the Internet democratizing American politics? Do political Web sites and blogs mobilize inactive citizens and make the public sphere more inclusive? The Myth of Digital Democracy reveals that, contrary to popular belief, the Internet has done little to broaden political discourse but in fact empowers a small set of elites–some new, but most familiar. […]
The Myth of Digital Democracy debunks popular notions about political discourse in the digital age, revealing how the Internet has neither diminished the audience share of corporate media nor given greater voice to ordinary citizens.
Review (Times Higher Education):
“Matthew Hindman’s The Myth of Internet [sic] Democracy is one of the first significant efforts to bring data to bear on the relationship between the internet and democracy. He argues against the journalists and pundits who have made sweeping claims about the internet’s transformative potential for democracy, and suggests that the new online bosses are not very different from the old ones. Unlike earlier sceptics, however, he has some data to support his claims.”
