Cooptation and Cooperation: Institutional Exemplars of Democratic Internet Technology

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cyber activism
democratic theory
indymedia
internet activism
online political action
technology studies
Communication
Social and Behavioral Sciences
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This article examines how online political groups are co-opting internet technology from commercial interests to amplify various cooperative processes. After formulating a framework for praxis-based democratic theories of technology, I select four internet-based groups as institutional exemplars for analysis: Democratic Underground, Free Republic, Indymedia, and Move On.These groups implement distinct types of democratic applications of internet technology and embody specific strands of democratic theory. I conclude by commenting on the direction of internet-based democratic practices, their political efficacy in terms of strategy and tactics, and how they figure within US political culture.

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2008-01-01
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New Media & Society
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Note: At the time of publication, author Victor Pickard was affiliated with the University of Illinois. Currently, he is a faculty member at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
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