Ebook: The political web: media, participation and alternative democracy

"As democracy encounters increasing difficulties, many citizens are turning to the domain of alternative politics and, in doing so, making considerable use of the Web and other new communication technologies. Clearly this is having significant impact, and new modes of political participation and even political cultures are emerging. In this volume, Peter Dahlgren analyses various factors that shape such Web-facilitated participation, including features of the Web itself as well as broader societal realities. Avoiding simplistic optimism or pessimism, the discussion highlights the tensions and force-fields that impact on participation, and also addresses several key topics in regard to citizens' engagement, such as civic subjectivity, web intellectuals and cosmopolitanism. While anchored in an extensive literature and wide theoretical vistas, the book is written in a clear and accessible style"--Provided by publisher.;Introduction -- Part I. Politics and Participation on the Web: 1. Democracy, participation and media connections; 2. Force-fields of the web environment -- Part II. Evolving Forms and Practices: 3. The Occupy Wall Street: discursive strategies and fields; 4. Online public intellectuals; 5. Web journalism and civic cosmopolitanism: professional vs. participatory ideals -- Part III. Critical Approaches: 6. The civic and subject and media-based agency; 7. Critical media research: something old, new, and unfinished.