ABSTRACT
Changes in the media landscape present new challenges for scholars interested in the relationship between the mass media and civil society. The explosion of the Internet that started in advanced industrial democracies and has spread through much of the globe provides new and unexplored pathways for communication. The inclusion of the Internet in the media mix raises new questions and challenges for citizens, journalists, politicians and governments alike. The central idea to this volume is the exploration of the nature of the Internet’s impact on civil society. In particular, this book addresses the following central questions in the discipline of Internet studies: Is the Internet qualitatively different from the more traditional forms of the media? Has it demonstrated real potential to improve civil society through a wider provision of information, through an enhancement of communication between government and citizen or via better state transparency? Alternatively, does the Internet actually present a threat to the coherence of civil society, as people are encouraged to abandon shared media experiences and pursue narrower interests?
