The Internet, Democracy and Net Neutrality

The Internet, Democracy and Net Neutrality Prof Shumow IDS 3309 2/20/13

Internet and Democracy?

Say hello to Mosaic…April 22, 1993

Suddenly, the Internet was for everyone… • “With Mosaic, the online world appears to be a vast, interconnected universe of information. You can enter at any point and begin to wander; no internet addresses or keyboard commands are necessary. The complex methods of extracting information from the net are hidden from sight. Almost every person who uses it feels the impulse to add some content of his or her own. Since Mosaic first appeared, according to the NCSA, net traffic devoted to hypermedia browsing has increased ten-thousandfold.” • Gary Wolfe, Wired Magazine, 1994

…and dot-com mania was launched • Mosaic became Netscape • Netscape went public in 1995 • And soon, all our dreams of endless access to useful, transformative information were realized –

Political promise • Many saw the Internet as a new tool for strengthening democracy • Citizens would be more informed, better organized, with greater rates of participation • Journalists would lose their monopoly on political reporting • The Howard Dean campaign, then Obama’s, the Tea Party, Arab Spring - all seem to prove them right • And the fall of Trent Lott showed the growing power of bloggers

Not everyone was happy about sharing power… • “(I’ve spent) all of my life, developing credentials to cover my field of work, and now I’m up against a guy named Vinny in an efficiency apartment in the Bronx who hasn’t left the efficiency apartment in two years” • Brian Williams, 2007

But wait, says Hindman, not so fast. • There are failures of the Internet that are not always acknowledged. • What exactly does it mean to say the Internet is “democratic”? • The assumption has been that the Internet will amplify the voice of ordinary citizens • But has the Internet really prompted people to become more involved in politics?

Some reasons for skepticism • The Digital Divide • Online politics simply reflects “real world” politics • The Internet is too fragmented – fewer opportunities for users to come together around an issue • No more gatekeepers? Or just a different set of gates? (Remember “Filter bubbles”?)

Hindman makes two arguments • New gatekeeping is related to the infrastructure of the Internet – and politics • Search engines are the great filter and search results follow a winner-take-all model • Traditional political power now uses the web to rally supporters and solicit contributions – not necessarily to gain new or inactive voters • There is a very important different between speaking – and being heard • Being online does not guarantee a “worldwide audience”

And what’s all this fuss about “net neutrality”? • John Hodgmanexplains.

Potential threats? • This would be like giving Ford its own lane on the freeway – no need to build a better car, just sign a better deal with the owners of the freeway • Threat to competition and innovation – if the barriers to access go up, where will be the incentive for the next start-up…like Google? • And what happens when a content carrier (Comcast) merges with a content provider (NBC/Universal)?

What if your Internet bill looked like this?

The Internet, Democracy and Net Neutrality