While no one really has the time to read an essay at this moment in the campaign, here is something I am working on.
"Internet Activism and the Democratic Emergency in the U.S."
Abstract:
The Internet renders efficiencies in political organization and mobilization. Already, network technologies have assisted activists in protests of corporate-led globalization, facilitated union struggles, provided alternatives to mainstream news media, and generated a new on-line model of political fund-raising. The US presidential election of 2004 will be an opportunity to assess the effectiveness of Internet strategies as a means for non-management stakeholders to influence the course of American politics. Republican party dominance of the mainstream media and the three branches of government increase the challenges of stakeholder organizing, particularly given the evidence of a shift toward authoritarian rule. I intend to examine Internet activism with respect to such organizations as MoveOn.org and TrueMajority.org, each of which makes a claim that it represent workers, environmentalists, and allied stakeholders.
Here is a draft:
http://jabobs.home.netcom.com/netactivism.pdf
E-mail me if you have any comments or would like to see the newest draft.
Thanks.