ABSTRACT
The Internet, which provides new, informal, and horizontal ways of communication on an unprecedented scale, is often expected to “level the playing field” between powerful political actors and the masses struggling below. Compared with many familiar tools of political engagement such as organizing demonstrations, mailouts and faxes, maintaining an Internet presence and communicating with a wide audience is relatively cheap and easy. McNeill describes in this volume his hopes that the Internet may act as an “equalizer,” enabling activists with limited power and resources to compete with larger, well-financed organizations. Although several studies have stressed the potential the Internet has for enhancing democracy, however, evidence that it actually does so is often slender.1
