Private Spaces and Public Interests: Internet Navigation, Commercialism and the Fleecing of Democracy

Explaining the Global Digital Divide: Economic, Political and Sociological Drivers of Cross-National Internet Use

“…4 Rogers (2001:98) concurs in that "the decentralized nature of the Internet means that its message content is very difficult or impossible for governments, parents, or other gatekeepers to control." And communication scholars have explicitly argued that in an age of electronic communication totalitarian or authoritarian regimes find it harder to control information, communication, dissidents, and the press (O' Sullivan et al 1983;Sussman 2000;van Dijk 1999:82-85; for the dissenting view, see Samoriski 2000).…”

Who owns the international Internet networks?

“…Critics challenge the idea that the Web serves as an alternative democratic medium, pointing instead to the Web's growing commercialism, concentrated control of ISPs, and the increased presence of traditional media providers on the Web (Baker 2007;Blevins 2002;Consalvo 2003;Cooper 2003;Patelis 2000;Samoriski 2000). Also, at this time, there is no international agency that regulates patterns of Internet ownership, similar to that of the role played by the USA's Federal Communication Commission (FCC).…”

Communication Law and Policy: The State of Research and Theory

“…Because Internet navigation services are given over to private companies, the pressure to present commercial outlets first in lists of search results has been viewed as a limitation of the system (Samoriski, 2000). As a result, most Web searches result in directories that may inordinately include sites that are merely trying to sell something to users.…”