Politics As Usual Vol. 6 : The Cyberspace `Revolution'

by Michael Margolis

• ISBN13: 9780761913313
• ISBN10: 0761913319
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-01-24
• Publisher: SAGE Publications, Inc

Summary

Examining the effects of the Internet on American politics, this book reveals its potential as a tool for empowering people to challenge existing power structures. However, the authors show how the American political system tends to normalize political activity, and thus the Internet's vast subversive potential could be lost, rendering it just another purveyor of ignored information.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
The Normalization of Cyberspace	1	(24)
The Great Transformation and Beyond	3	(5)
Three Types of Internet Politics	8	(13)
Intra-Net Politics	8	(2)
Politics That Affects the Net	10	(4)
Political Uses of the Net	14	(7)
Looking Forward	21	(4)
Democracy in Cyberspace: A Brief History	25	(28)
The Rise of ARPANET	26	(5)
Expanding and Linking Computer Networks	31	(6)
From ARPANET to the Internet	37	(3)
The World Wide Web and the Popularization of Cyberspace	40	(7)
Political Consequences of Popularization	47	(6)
Parties and Interest Groups: Organizing, Lobbying, and Electioneering in Cyberspace	53	(24)
Political Parties on the Internet	57	(9)
Candidates on the World Wide Web	66	(3)
Political Interest Groups on the Web	69	(3)
The Future of Political Web Sites	72	(5)
Elected Officials and Government Bureaucracy in Cyberspace	77	(22)
Accessing Government Via the Internet	78	(1)
The Executive on the Net	79	(14)
Legislatures on the Net	93	(3)
Keeping Government on the Web in Perspective	96	(3)
The Internet, Mass Media, and Public Opinion	99	(18)
The Great Democratic Hope	100	(4)
Media and Democracy	104	(5)
News of Public Affairs on the Internet	109	(8)
Doing Business on the Web: New Rules and New Taxes?	117	(40)
Electronic Commerce	119	(2)
Establishing a Legal Framework for Electronic Commerce	121	(3)
Intellectual Property Protection	124	(3)
Protecting Privacy	127	(4)
Taxing the Internet	131	(15)
The Bit Tax	146	(4)
International Politics and Taxation	150	(3)
Conclusion	153	(4)
Gambling on the Internet: A Case Study in the Politics of Regulation	157	(24)
History of Gambling Regulation	159	(2)
Enforcement in Cyberspace: Within the United States	161	(3)
Enforcement in Cyberspace: Offshore	164	(4)
Proposed Federal Legislation	168	(13)
Criminal Activity in Cyberspace and What to Do About It	181	(24)
Crime in Cyberspace	182	(19)
Network Crime	183	(10)
Computer Crime	193	(8)
Conclusion	201	(4)
Democracy and Cyberspace: A Peek Into the Future	205	(20)
How the Net Will Not Contribute to Democracy	207	(3)
How the Net Will Contribute to Democracy	210	(2)
Inequalities in Cyberspace	212	(4)
The Internet and Hopes for World Peace	216	(1)
Setting Internet Policy in the Years Ahead	217	(8)
References	225	(16)
Index	241	(5)
About the Authors	246