The Web of Politics: The Internet's Impact on the American Political System [Paperback]

Richard Davis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 4, 1999

Is the Internet destined to upset traditional political power in the United States? This book answers with an emphatic "no." Author Richard Davis shows how current political players including candidates, public officials, and the media are adapting to the Internet and assuring that this new medium benefits them in their struggle for power. In doing so he examines the current function of the Internet in democratic politics--educating citizens, conducting electoral campaigns, gauging public opinion, and achieving policy resolution-- and the roles of current political actors in those functions. Davis's unconventional prediction concerning the Internet's impact on American politics warrants a closer look by anyone interested in learning how this new communication medium will affect us politically.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The Internet is political. So are television, radio, and any number of print publications. Punctuating his account with references to politics and social science, Davis (political science, Brigham Young Univ.) here takes a sobering look at the future, concluding that the spin doctors who control other media will soon control the Internet's political content. How this will be accomplished is somewhat unclear?the Internet lacks a Huntley and Brinkley or a Walter Cronkite. Davis concludes that the same powerful institutions that own and rule other media will come to dominate the Internet. Like many books in this category, Davis's effort suffers from the constant interplay among "Internet," "WWW," and "World Wide Web." But along with Graeme Browning's Electronic Democracy (Online, 1996) and Gary W. Selnow's Electronic Whistle-Stops: The Impact of the Internet on American Politics (Praeger, 1998), it remains one of the more interesting books of late that overlays political theory on top of the Internet. For academic libraries.?Alan Schroeder, Rutan & Tucker, LLP, Costa Mesa, CA
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"A well-researched and finely detailed account of virtual politics today."--W. Lance Bennett, University of Washington

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Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 4, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019511485X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195114850
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,233,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Davis is a political science professor who studies political communication. He is the author of several books, book chapters, and journal articles on various topics including the Internet and politics, the political impact of talk radio, online political discussion, the U.S. Supreme Court nomination process, and the relationship between the U.S. Supreme Court and the press. In addition, he has been a political activist and a consultant to candidates for office. He is a past chair of the Political Communication Section of the American Political Science Association.