Internet: Is It a Threat to Democracy?

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The Internet’s roots can be traced back to 1962 (“Internet History” n.d.). With the Internet, people are provided with the power to search vast amounts of information and have the ability to participate and engage conversation in many forums. The Internet allows people from different cities and countries and with different backgrounds to connect and communicate in a digital world. As opposed to sitting in a room with a hardwired connection, people can now go mobile with the Internet. Laptops and smartphones allow the Internet to fit in backpacks and pockets. The question remains – does the Internet threaten democracy or help it? With information comes misinformation, and the answer isn’t simply yes or no. However, more times than not, the Internet aids democracy by creating a citizen who’s more aware of a variety of issues.
Counterclaims argue the Internet is an agency serving the breakdown of democracy (Jacobs, n.d.), contains mass amounts of misinformation, and has the ability to spread wrong information quickly (“Does the Internet Help or Hurt Democracy?”, 2010). Regardless of the quantity of information available online, claims argue that the quality of information can’t be trusted. Arguments have gone as far as saying that misinformation and propaganda and conspiracy theories are being brought into classrooms (Bartlett & Miller, 2011).
Forty-seven percent of teachers surveyed stated they encountered disputes with schoolwork and lessons containing inaccurate information from the Internet (Bartlett & Miller, 2011). Forty-eight percent of teachers surveyed mentioned having debates about conspiracy theories in class (Bartlett & Miller, 2011).
With regards to the quality of information available on the Internet, it’s unfair to ...

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Does the Internet Help or Hurt Democracy? [Video file]. (2010, June 1). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media-jan-june10-miller_06-01/ Internet History. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2014, from http://www.computerhistory.org/internet_history/ Jacobs, J. (n.d.). Democracy and the Internet. Retrieved April 7, 2014, from http://www.abc.net.au/ola/citizen/interdemoc/democ.htm Saletan, W. (2011, July 18). Spring Time for Twitter: Is the Internet driving the revolutions of the Arab Spring? Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2011/07/springtime_for_ twitter.html
Wright, R. (n.d.). This House Believes the Internet Brings More Harm than Good.
Retrieved April 10, 2014, from http://www.youthforum.idebate.org/debatabase/
debates/science-technology/house-believes-internet-brings-more-harm-good

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