Community, Activism and Media
Ever since Al Gore invented the Internet, chronic worriers have been concerned that the medium would encourage anonymity and isolation and greatly deteriorate community. Professor Norman Nie delivers the classic criticism: "The Internet could be the ultimate isolating technology that further reduces our participation in communities even more than television did before it."

But blogs (especially those with even greater tools for community than this one) are making the opposite case, making the Internet a medium that invites participation, that challenges lazy journalism in real time, and at its best a place for conversation, not just expression (though even that makes it more participative than television). What moveon.org and the Dean campaign demonstrate is that it's also becoming a venue that can inspire action. So, with liberals looking for a proper response network to the wall of conservative talk radio, Oliver Willis believes that the world of blogs, not Al Franken's newly announced radio network, is best poised to claim that role:

"The stuff on the slate from Air America is nice and all, but I think that blogs are the real 'alternative media' for the left. JFK 2.0 [John Kerry] just raised $10 million in 10 days largely via the web, and other progressive organizations are starting to tap in big time (The DNC, The DCCC, The DSCC) because they see what's happening via the grassroots."

I agree with him, even though a radio network will be entertaining, and will reach offline audiences. The blogosphere is decentralized, accessible and allows group communication (even if it has to be a bit surface at times, or is limited to 1,000 characters) in a way that only the Internet can. Perhaps a Rush Limbaugh-based media model allows for more coordinated, controlled political themes, but with tens of thousands of conversations going on, not just a single one-way directive, blogs have a better chance of creating and maintaining community and participation. That makes it a better fit as a media network for progressives and independents, as well as a positive contribution to our democracy.

And it keeps me off the streets.

What do you think? Does the Internet build community, or threaten it?