Ebook: The big disconnect : why the Internet hasn't transformed politics (yet)

The web and social media have enabled an explosive increase in participation in the public arena�but not much else has changed. For the next step beyond connectivity, writes Sifry, �we need a real digital public square, not one hosted by Facebook, shaped by Google and snooped on by the National Security Agency. If we don�t build one, then any notion of democracy as �rule by the people� will no longer be meaningful. We will be a nation of Big Data, by Big Email, for the powers that be.�