Mark Deuze on the Internet and democracy

The Internet may have changed the world but it hasn't necessarily contributed to democracy, writes Mark Deuze, a professor in Journalism from Leiden in the Netherlands, in the left-liberal daily Trouw: "Everyone is voicing their opinion or at least has the feeling that their own opinion counts at the moment, but no one has taken on the responsibility of actually doing something with all these different views. We get annoyed (online) about all the things that are wrong with society, but this involvement appears to go hand in hand with less and less action. Who takes to the streets (never mind going on the barricades) for the sake of his or her ideals nowadays? Who founds parties or organisations or joins them as an active member? Who actively tries to bring about change? To what extent is the democratising debate online the expression of offline activity? In sum, it looks like all the interactivity online is making us more mature as consumers but at the same time more harmless as citizens. As I see it the connection between increasing online debate and dwindling offline participation must be seen in the context of an exaggerated individualisation within society. We happily take part with everyone else in everything - from voluntary work to Facebook campaigns for good causes - but all this [involvement] is of a highly personal and thus voluntary character."

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