ABSTRACT

New technologies often change our lives in dramatic and unexpected ways. The Internet has perhaps transformed our public and private lives more quickly than any other technological innovation in the twentieth century. How we conduct business, maintain relationships, and participate in politics have been altered because of the Internet. With the maturation of the Internet, online communications have been significantly transformed from the early days of e-mail and chat rooms to today’s widespread use of social networking sites like Facebook and video sharing sites such as YouTube. Among the emerging technologies facilitating online communication, political blogs are a prominent agent driving many of these rapid changes.