Democratizing democracy: Strong democracy, US political campaigns and the Internet

The Internet's achievements in facilitating Benjamin Barber's notion of 'strong democracy' are assessed by way of analyzing its impact upon selected American political campaigns since 1996. The study focuses upon six features that might affect its application. Campaigning on the Internet is cheaper than using other forms of media. It shrinks distance. It can store and apply much greater volumes of information on individual voters and groups of them, allowing much more targeting of political messages. It can amalgamate messages from various types of media. It can provide greater interaction between candidates and voters, and at much greater speed. The study concludes that candidates have only just begun to tap these features. Citizens must pressure candidates to utilize the Internet for strong democratic ends.