ABSTRACT

The chapter begins by outlining the origin and mission of the book. It is a sequel of our Digital Democracy book, published in 2000. In that year, pretentious claims of digital democracy as a new political system were put forward. Have they been realized in the last 17 years?

The arrival of a new communication technology is often accompanied by predictions regarding its positive or negative effects on democracy. The most important pitfalls of making predictions about technology are discussed in this chapter. The fate and future of democracy is not only set by technology. The material and social basis of democracy in society is often more important than the technological basis, in this case digital media and networking.

This book is about the interplay between political action, digital media or networks and political systems of democracies. In discussing this interplay of factors, this book draws on two main theories: network theory and structuration theory. The latter is presented in a framework or model that is a thread the runs through the remainder of the book.

Basic definitions used in the book are formulated: democracy, networks and network society. We discuss more than ten contemporary views of democracy that can be linked to digital media use. Finally, a chapter overview is provided.