Domination or Democratization? Institutional Exemplars and Democratic Applications of Internet Technology.

This paper examines how online political groups are co-opting internet technology from military and commercial interests to amplify various cooperative processes. After formulating a framework for praxis-based 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 U.S. political culture. ..PAT.-Conference Proceeding [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]