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Convergence culture : where old and new media collide / Henry Jenkins.

Jenkins, Henry, 1958- . Convergence culture : where old and new media collide / Henry Jenkins. [9780814742815 (cloth : alk. paper) ] New York : New York University Press, 2006.
Call#: Annenberg Library Reserve P94.65.U6 J46 2006

"Photoshop for Democracy: The New Relationship between Politics and Popular Culture"

In chapter six, Jenkins discusses the role of popular culture in emerging political communities. Jenkins (as is the case throughout Convergence Culture) is focused on how old and new media interact and the dynamics of collaboration and participation. While Jenkins recognizes the scoff-factor when implying the concept of “photoshop for democracy” (user-generated images that often map themes from popular culture onto the political campaign) is any sort of substitute for real political activism, he insists that this kind of user-generated content and mass dispersion is a serious act of citizenry. In fact, using popular culture as a means of engaging voters might just be the most effective way of re-establishing interest in politics as a part of our everyday lives. Jenkins focuses on the 2004 election and recognizes that the next step is to think of “democratic citizenship as a lifestyle.” Furthermore, online political communities seem to be segregating voters, as opposed to encouraging dialogue across ideologies. Although he seems to offer popular culture as a kind of national balm for the ailments of political fragmentation, Jenkins recognizes the inherent limits of its role in (or applicability as a model for) contemporary political communities.

For me, the most useful parts of this argument is the attention he pays to the increasing participation of average Americans (now as monitorial citizens as opposed to informed citizens) in the media landscape and the possibilities for the integration of politics and popular culture. However, he doesn’t seem to offer any real solution for the acutely polarized political landscape.

Revolution will not be televised : democracy, the Internet, and the overthrow of everything / Joe Trippi.

Trippi, Joe. .

Revolution will not be televised : democracy, the Internet, and the overthrow of everything / Joe Trippi. [0060761555 (acid-free paper) ] New York : ReganBooks, c2004.
Call#: Van Pelt Library JK1764 .T75 2004

This is a really compelling, if somewhat repetitive account, of Joe Trippi's involvement in politics in general and the Howard Dean campaign in particular. This is one of the most forward-looking accounts I've read of the increasing role of the internet in American life, also offering strategies for current and future candidates, businesses, etc. to stay afloat in the online era.

However, I have difficulty fully swallowing Trippi's arguments about how Dean ultimately failed as a candidate. Trippi blames the steam-rolling political machine with its usual smear tactics and ability to lose interest in an unconventional candidate as quickly as it initially embraced him. Throughout the text, Trippi argues that the campaign itself, a campaign created by and for the people, remains a successful model, but he doesn't quite attend to the organizational pitfalls of such a movement. This leads me back to the question Cornfield and others raise: how do you encourage/harness the momentum of a movement within the boundaries of a campaign that ultimately must be organized in order to be effective?

Politics online : blogs, chatrooms, and discussion groups in American democracy / Richard Davis.

Davis, Richard, 1955- . Politics online : blogs, chatrooms, and discussion groups in American democracy / Richard Davis. [0415951925 (alk. paper) ] New York : Routledge, 2005.
Call#: Van Pelt Library JK1764 .D37 2005

Ch. 1: “Electronic Political Discussion”

This chapter offers an overview of various online communications, including electronic email lists, Usenet and blogs. Davis addresses the question of whether or not online discussions make any difference in political processes, institutions or societal behavior and ultimately decides that the prophesized utopia of direct democracy has not yet been achieved. The obstacles facing such restructuring include: inequality in the levels of accessibility and the fragmented nature of electronic political discussion. Even the more tempered notion of deliberative democracy faces hurdles - most notably human reliance on technological solutions.

This chapter is a helpful summary of current online discussion forums and briefly pulls apart the kind of Trippi-esque claims of revolution. I'm going to utilize the rest of this book in order to examine the broad claims of internet revolution which, in the case of much writing about the internet, seem devoid of factors like accessibility.

Republic.com / Cass Sunstein.

In this class textbook, Sunstein reveals her fears about the "Daily Me", the process by which individuals today can filter ever more increasing amounts of electronic information to fit a highly personal profile, such that they can see only that information they wish to see in the world. In addition, she speaks about the convergence and polarization of ideas and the groups which espouse them, on the internet to the extent that she uses the term "balkanization" for some online communities such as race hate groups or political sites. When people of a like mind do get together on a newsgroup, bulletin board, website, or chat room, it is found that members tend to further gravitate to those who have strong, defined opinions on topics of interest and concern for those individuals. If that is the case, if one believes that women's speech is quantitatively different from men's speech and that women may find more community by remaining in the online company of women, then it may be the case that women and men may divide their online participation among more gendered lines. Also, the way that strong opinions, criticism, and conflict are handled online may have a direct relationship to whether or not women will espouse new ideas or new online venues outside of their known social spheres.