COM125 Assignment - Internet and Politics

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/07/27/remember-compassionate-conservatism/

Remember ‘compassionate conservatism’? By: Steve Benen – Citizen Blogger

The tone of Benen, is one of anger and full of scoff. He scoffs at the ignorance of Bush and his administration. The way Bush turned his back on compassion and religion is quite unheard of.

As of late, weblogs are affecting local politics like never before. The public sphere is making it more and more easier to find opinions on different topics and political issues.

“Habermas develops the normative notion of the public sphere as a part of social life where citizens can exchange views on matters of importance to the common good, so that public opinion can be formed. This public sphere comes into being when people gather to discuss issues of political concern.” (Thornton)

This public exchange of opinion is becoming bigger and bigger everyday. The evolving technology of internet weblogs and online journals by citizen journalists is making it easier to discuss political views and responses to political actions.

Ever since the invention of the internet, politics has been changed. Through freedom of expression, many people are acting as journalists and sharing their views on certain events and new political happenings. The internet now acts as a medium for advertising campaigns as well. Through the internet, many new politics are becoming more publicized and through the same internet, those politics are being discussed about and talked about in depth.

These new communication techniques involve more of the public into politics. Nowadays, internet access in a household is as common as having milk in the fridge. Because all these people can have access, the participation into the political field has become more than ever.

“The role of traditional media (television, magazines and newspapers) in modern democracy is increasingly problematic, and serious questions have arisen about its capacity as a site for political criticism or rational debate.” (Thornton)

Television, magazine, and newspapers do not have much leeway for public opinion and discussion. Through the change of media into a more technological field, the internet poses as a medium for exchange of ideas and concerns as well as factual information for all internet users. As you can see, the development of the internet has deeply impacted politics merely by this new form of journalism allowing the freedom to express your thoughts and ideas.

Thornton, A. (2002) Does Internet Create Democracy.