Eszter Hargittai
University of Zurich, Switzerland, IPMZ, Faculty Member
- Northwestern University, Communication Studies, Faculty Memberadd
- Communication, Research Methodology, New Media, Social Media, Mass Communication, Usability, and 20 moreSex and Gender, Research Methods and Methodology, Computer Mediated Communication, Mobile Communication, Social Stratification, Public Opinion, Political Communication (Communication), Internet Communication, Media and public policy, Social Inequalities, Communication Skills, Sociology of the Media, The Internet, Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), Technology, Political communication, Communication Technology, Network Analysis, Social Dynamics, and Strategic Communicationedit
- Professor of Communication, University of Zurichedit
As COVID-19 swept across the globe, disrupting people’s lives through lockdowns and health concerns, information about how to stay safe and how to identify symptoms spread across media of all forms. Using survey data we collected in April... more
As COVID-19 swept across the globe, disrupting people’s lives through lockdowns and health concerns, information about how to stay safe and how to identify symptoms spread across media of all forms. Using survey data we collected in April 2020 on a national sample of Americans, we tested the knowledge gap hypothesis by examining how people’s education levels relate to their knowledge about COVID-19 as well as their susceptibility to fake news, and whether information sources moderate this relationship. Our findings suggest that a knowledge gap exists, with those with higher education levels displaying higher levels of knowledge. In contrast, education level did not play a role in believing false information. Moreover, higher news consumption through radio, print newspapers and magazines, and especially social media was associated with lower levels of knowledge and more fake news beliefs. However, news media consumption did not moderate the relationship between education and either knowledge or fake news beliefs, meaning that the media did not explain the education-based knowledge gap during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
While the digital inequality literature has considered differences in the online experiences of many population segments, relatively little work has examined how people with disabilities (PWD) have incorporated digital media into their... more
While the digital inequality literature has considered differences in the online experiences of many population segments, relatively little work has examined how people with disabilities (PWD) have incorporated digital media into their lives. Based on a national survey of American adults, this paper explores this question through considering both barriers to Internet use and the possibilities the Internet offers PWD. Findings indicate barriers for many PWD to accessing the Internet. Those with five of six types of disabilities measured are considerably less likely to be online than those who are not disabled. People who are deaf or hearing impaired to do not lag in Internet access once we account for demographics, Web use skills, and Internet experiences. However, the study also finds evidence that once online, PWD engage in a range of uses of the Internet as much as people without disability. Moreover, PWD take distinct interest in certain online activities, such as sharing their own content and reviewing products and services, pointing to ways they may go online to adapt and respond to the wider inaccessible society. These findings indicate great potential for the Internet for people with disabilities and suggest that moving more of them online holds the potential for considerable gains among this group.
Research Interests:
Based on focus group interviews, we considered how young adults’ attitudes about privacy can be reconciled with their online behavior. The “privacy paradox” suggests that young people claim to care about privacy while simultaneously... more
Based on focus group interviews, we considered how young adults’ attitudes about privacy can be reconciled with their online behavior. The “privacy paradox” suggests that young people claim to care about privacy while simultaneously providing a great deal of personal information through social media. Our interviews revealed that young adults do understand and care about the potential risks associated with disclosing information online and engage in at least some privacy-protective behaviors on social media. However, they feel that once information is shared, it is ultimately out of their control. They attribute this to the opaque practices of institutions, the technological affordances of social media, and the concept of networked privacy, which acknowledges that individuals exist in social contexts where others can and do violate their privacy.
Research Interests: Privacy and Social Media
Applying a typology of social network site (SNS) usage that takes into consideration the intensity with which people use such sites, this piece offers an empirical investigation of how users' social practices on SNSs differ and whether... more
Applying a typology of social network site (SNS) usage that takes into consideration the intensity with which people use such sites, this piece offers an empirical investigation of how users' social practices on SNSs differ and whether different levels of engagement have consequences for academic performance. We rely on a unique survey-based data set representing a diverse group of young adults to answer these questions. We find, not surprisingly, that the more intense users of such sites engage in more social activities on SNSs than those who spend less time on them and only use one such site. This finding holds in the realm of both stronger-tie activities and weaker-tie activities, that is, social practices involving one's close friends as well as less established ties. Our analyses suggest gender differences in level of engagement with SNS social practices. Women pursue more stronger-tie activities than men, such as interacting with existing friends. In contrast, women engage in fewer weaker-tie activities than men, such as developing new relationships on such sites. However, neither SNS usage intensity nor social practices performed on these sites is systematically related to students' academic performance, findings that challenge some previous claims to the contrary.
Author Posting. (c) Taylor & Francis, 2010.
This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Taylor & Francis for personal use, not for redistribution.
The definitive version was published in Information, Communication & Society, Volume 13 Issue 4, June 2010.
doi:10.1080/13691181003639866 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13691181003639866)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13691181003639866#
Author Posting. (c) Taylor & Francis, 2010.
This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Taylor & Francis for personal use, not for redistribution.
The definitive version was published in Information, Communication & Society, Volume 13 Issue 4, June 2010.
doi:10.1080/13691181003639866 (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13691181003639866)
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13691181003639866#
Research Interests:
Abstract This article expands understanding of the digital divide to more nuanced measures of use by examining differences in young adults' online activities. Young adults are the most highly connected age group, but that does not mean... more
Abstract This article expands understanding of the digital divide to more nuanced measures of use by examining differences in young adults' online activities. Young adults are the most highly connected age group, but that does not mean that their Internet uses are homogenous. Analyzing data about the Web uses of 270 adults from across the United States, the article explores the differences in 18-to 26-year-olds' online activities and what social factors explain the variation.
Abstract: Much of the existing approach to the digital divide suffers from an important limitation. It is based on a binary classification of Internet use by only considering whether someone is or is not an Internet user. To remedy this... more
Abstract: Much of the existing approach to the digital divide suffers from an important limitation. It is based on a binary classification of Internet use by only considering whether someone is or is not an Internet user. To remedy this shortcoming, this project looks at the differences in people's level of skill with respect to finding information online. Findings suggest that people search for content in a myriad of ways and there is a large variance in how long people take to find various types of information online.
Search engines are some of the most commonly accessed websites online (see a listing of the most popular online properties at ranking. com, including top spots held by msn. com, google. com, and yahoo. com). Millions of people turn to... more
Search engines are some of the most commonly accessed websites online (see a listing of the most popular online properties at ranking. com, including top spots held by msn. com, google. com, and yahoo. com). Millions of people turn to them to find content on a daily basis (Fallows, 2005), submitting billions of queries each month (comScore, 2007). In fact, search engine use rivals email as the most common activity undertaken by Internet users (Rainie & Shermak, 2005).
Abstract This article expands understanding of the digital divide to more nuanced measures of use by examining differences in young adults' online activities. Young adults are the most highly connected age group, but that does not mean... more
Abstract This article expands understanding of the digital divide to more nuanced measures of use by examining differences in young adults' online activities. Young adults are the most highly connected age group, but that does not mean that their Internet uses are homogenous. Analyzing data about the Web uses of 270 adults from across the United States, the article explores the differences in 18-to 26-year-olds' online activities and what social factors explain the variation.
Abstract Much anecdotal evidence suggests that Google is the most popular search engine. However, such claims are rarely backed up by data. The reasons for this are manifold including the difficulty in measuring search engine popularity... more
Abstract Much anecdotal evidence suggests that Google is the most popular search engine. However, such claims are rarely backed up by data. The reasons for this are manifold including the difficulty in measuring search engine popularity and the multiple ways in which the concept can be understood. Here, I discuss the sources of confusion related to search engine popularity.
The Internet is a critically important research site for sociologists testing theories of technology diffusion and media effects, particularly because it is a medium uniquely capable of integrating modes of communication and forms of... more
The Internet is a critically important research site for sociologists testing theories of technology diffusion and media effects, particularly because it is a medium uniquely capable of integrating modes of communication and forms of content. Current research tends to focus on the Internet's implications in five domains: 1) inequality (the" digital divide"); 2) community and social capital; 3) political participation; 4) organizations and other economic institutions; and 5) cultural participation and cultural diversity.
The Internet is a critically important research site for sociologists testing theories of technology diffusion and media effects, particularly because it is a medium uniquely capable of integrating modes of communication and forms of... more
The Internet is a critically important research site for sociologists testing theories of technology diffusion and media effects, particularly because it is a medium uniquely capable of integrating modes of communication and forms of content. Current research tends to focus on the Internet's implications in five domains: 1) inequality (the" digital divide"); 2) community and social capital; 3) political participation; 4) organizations and other economic institutions; and 5) cultural participation and cultural diversity.
Abstract A refined approach to digital inequality requires that in addition to looking at differences in access statistics we also must examine differences among Internet users. People encounter numerous hurdles during their online... more
Abstract A refined approach to digital inequality requires that in addition to looking at differences in access statistics we also must examine differences among Internet users. People encounter numerous hurdles during their online information-seeking behavior. In this paper, I focus on the likelihood that Internet users will make spelling or typographical mistakes during their online activities. Information seeking on the Web often requires users to type text into forms.
This study reports on new media adopters' perceptions of and reactions to the shift from push broadcasting and headlines to the pull dynamics of online search.
Abstract There is a dearth of survey instruments for measuring Internet skills. This article presents results from additional implementations of a previously-developed index measure. It considers the performance of the original instrument... more
Abstract There is a dearth of survey instruments for measuring Internet skills. This article presents results from additional implementations of a previously-developed index measure. It considers the performance of the original instrument over time as well as shortened versions of it on two surveys of different populations. Drawing on analyses of five different data sets, the article makes recommendations for various length survey items for measuring people's web-use skills.
Abstract Much of the existing literature on the digital divide-the differences between the" haves" and" have nots" regarding access to the Internet-limits its scope to a binary classification of technology use by only considering whether... more
Abstract Much of the existing literature on the digital divide-the differences between the" haves" and" have nots" regarding access to the Internet-limits its scope to a binary classification of technology use by only considering whether someone does or does not use the Internet. To remedy this shortcoming, in this paper I look at the differences in people's online skills. In order to measure online ability, I assigned search tasks to a random sample of Internet users from a suburban county in the United States.
Abstract Research on how the Internet is diffusing across the population has broadened from questions about who uses the medium to what people do during their time online. With this change in focus comes a need for more detailed data on... more
Abstract Research on how the Internet is diffusing across the population has broadened from questions about who uses the medium to what people do during their time online. With this change in focus comes a need for more detailed data on people's online actions. The author provides a method for coding and classifying users' online information-seeking behavior. The author presents an exhaustive list of ways in which a user may arrive at a web page.
By the beginning of the twenty-first century, information and communication technologies (lCl “) had become a staple of many peoples everyday lives. The level oi instantaneous connectivity——-to others and to an abundance of... more
By the beginning of the twenty-first century, information and communication technologies (lCl “) had become a staple of many peoples everyday lives. The level oi instantaneous connectivity——-to others and to an abundance of information--aficorded by advances in ICT is unprecedented. With economies increasingiy dependent on ltnowledge-intensive activities, the unequfl distribution of knowledge and in-
Objective. Sociologists of technology propose that not only a technological artifact, as such, but also patterns of usage should be considered when studying the social implications of technologies. Accordingly, we explore how people's... more
Objective. Sociologists of technology propose that not only a technological artifact, as such, but also patterns of usage should be considered when studying the social implications of technologies. Accordingly, we explore how people's online activities are influenced by users' socioeconomic status and context of use. Methods. We analyze data from the Allensbacher Computer and Technology Analysis (ACTA) 2004 survey with uniquely detailed information about people's Internet uses and context of usage to explore this relationship.
Abstract With the increasing spread of information technologies and their potential to filter content, some have argued that people will abandon the reading of dissenting political opinions in favor of material that is closely aligned... more
Abstract With the increasing spread of information technologies and their potential to filter content, some have argued that people will abandon the reading of dissenting political opinions in favor of material that is closely aligned with their own ideological position. We test this theory empirically by analyzing—both quantitatively and qualitatively—Web links among the writings of top conservative and liberal bloggers. Given our use of novel methods, we discuss in detail our sampling and data collection methodologies.
People who have grown up with digital media are often assumed to be universally savvy with information and communication technologies. Such assumptions are rarely grounded in empirical evidence, however. This article draws on unique data... more
People who have grown up with digital media are often assumed to be universally savvy with information and communication technologies. Such assumptions are rarely grounded in empirical evidence, however. This article draws on unique data with information about a diverse group of young adults' Internet uses and skills to suggest that even when controlling for Internet access and experiences, people differ in their online abilities and activities.
Abstract This paper explores how the unequal international spread of the Internet can perpetuate existing inequalities among the world's nations. World-systems theory is used--supplemented by some considerations of cultural aspects--to... more
Abstract This paper explores how the unequal international spread of the Internet can perpetuate existing inequalities among the world's nations. World-systems theory is used--supplemented by some considerations of cultural aspects--to show how nations with high-development-level status have the highest level of network connectivity while nations with low development status have the lowest level of connectivity.
Abstract: This Issue Brief takes a fresh look at the factors surrounding what has appeared to be a closing of the gender divide among those using the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs). Empirical evidence... more
Abstract: This Issue Brief takes a fresh look at the factors surrounding what has appeared to be a closing of the gender divide among those using the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs). Empirical evidence based primarily on the Oxford Internet Survey (OxIS) is used to identify key dimensions of'access' whose measurement can help to reveal some detailed emerging differences in the ways choices are made in practice about whether or how to use the Internet.
By the beginning of the 21st century, information and communication technologies (ICT) had become a staple of many people's everyday lives. The level of instantaneous connectivity–to others and to an abundance of information–afforded by... more
By the beginning of the 21st century, information and communication technologies (ICT) had become a staple of many people's everyday lives. The level of instantaneous connectivity–to others and to an abundance of information–afforded by advances in ICT is unprecedented. With economies increasingly dependent on knowledge-intensive activities, the unequal distribution of knowledge and information access across the population may be linked increasingly to stratification.
Abstract This article presents survey measures of web-oriented digital literacy to serve as proxies for observed skill measures, which are much more expensive and difficult to collect for large samples. Findings are based on a study that... more
Abstract This article presents survey measures of web-oriented digital literacy to serve as proxies for observed skill measures, which are much more expensive and difficult to collect for large samples. Findings are based on a study that examined users' digital literacy through both observations and survey questions, making it possible to check the validity of survey proxy measures. These analyses yield a set of recommendations for what measures work well as survey proxies of people's observed web-use skills.
Objective. The literature on gender and technology use finds that women and men differ significantly in their attitudes toward their technological abilities. Concurrently, existing work on science and math abilities of students suggests... more
Objective. The literature on gender and technology use finds that women and men differ significantly in their attitudes toward their technological abilities. Concurrently, existing work on science and math abilities of students suggests that such perceived differences do not always translate into actual disparities. We examine the yet-neglected area concerning gender differences with respect to Internet-use ability.
Social network sites (SNSs) have become some of the most popular online destinations in recent years (comScore, 2007a, 2007b). Not surprisingly, this level of user attraction has been accompanied by much coverage in the popular press,... more
Social network sites (SNSs) have become some of the most popular online destinations in recent years (comScore, 2007a, 2007b). Not surprisingly, this level of user attraction has been accompanied by much coverage in the popular press, including speculations about the potential gains and harms stemming from the use of SNS services (Hempel, 2005; Magid, 2006; Stafford, 2006).
The increasing spread of the Internet holds much potential for enhancing opportunities for people with disabilities. However, scarce evidence exists to suggest that people with disabilities are, in fact, participating in these new... more
The increasing spread of the Internet holds much potential for enhancing opportunities for people with disabilities. However, scarce evidence exists to suggest that people with disabilities are, in fact, participating in these new developments. Will the spread of information technologies (IT) increase equality by offering opportunities for people with disabilities? Or will a growing reliance on IT lead to more inequality by leaving behind certain portions of the population including people with disabilities?
Information technologies have become a staple of adolescents' lives with young people among the most connected in countries that have seen high levels of Internet and cell phone diffusion by the first decade of the 21 st century... more
Information technologies have become a staple of adolescents' lives with young people among the most connected in countries that have seen high levels of Internet and cell phone diffusion by the first decade of the 21 st century (Livingstone and Bober 2004; National Telecommunications and Information Administration 2004). However, merely knowing various digital media's rates of use says little about how young people are incorporating IT into their everyday lives.
With the rise of the internet's importance in ail spheres of life, there has been increasing concern regarding the patterns of its diffusion across the population. Reports have documented the clear presence of an Internet "digital... more
With the rise of the internet's importance in ail spheres of life, there has been increasing concern regarding the patterns of its diffusion across the population. Reports have documented the clear presence of an Internet "digital divide," ie, inequalities in access to and use of the medium, with lower levels of connectivity among women, racial and ethnic minorities, people with lower incomes, rural residents, and less educated people. (See Figs.
Abstract We contend that as Internet penetration increases, students of inequality of access to the new information technologies should shift their attention from the “digital divide”---inequality between “haves” and “have-nots”... more
Abstract We contend that as Internet penetration increases, students of inequality of access to the new information technologies should shift their attention from the “digital divide”---inequality between “haves” and “have-nots” differentiated by dichotomous measures of access to or use of the new technologies---to digital inequality, by which we refer not just to differences in access, but also to inequality among persons with formal access to the Internet.
While previous work has found cognitive ability to be strongly associated with whether older adults use the Internet, we consider whether cognitive ability also differentiates basic aspects of use. Four measures of use are considered:... more
While previous work has found cognitive ability to be strongly associated with whether older adults use the Internet, we consider whether cognitive ability also differentiates basic aspects of use. Four measures of use are considered: having high-speed access, length of time since initial household adoption, self-reported time using the Internet, and whether any of the respondent's Internet use involves the Web in addition to e-mail.
Abstract What motivates young adults to start using the popular microblogging site Twitter? Can we identify any systematic patterns of adoption or is use of the service randomly distributed among internet users of this demographic?... more
Abstract What motivates young adults to start using the popular microblogging site Twitter? Can we identify any systematic patterns of adoption or is use of the service randomly distributed among internet users of this demographic? Drawing on unique longitudinal data surveying 505 diverse young American adults about their internet uses at two points in time (2009, 2010), this article looks at what explains the uptake of Twitter during the year when the site saw considerable increase in use.
Abstract There is a growing body of literature on how people use the Web and in particular on what types of content people view online. Such work takes for granted that people have ready access to all that the Web has to offer. Such an... more
Abstract There is a growing body of literature on how people use the Web and in particular on what types of content people view online. Such work takes for granted that people have ready access to all that the Web has to offer. Such an approach assumes that the billions of Web pages that are technically available online are realistically within the reach of users. However, little work has considered how people's online use patterns may be limited by the scope of their ability to locate various types of content on the Web.
Abstract Much anecdotal evidence suggests that Google is the most popular search engine. However, such claims are rarely backed up by data. The reasons for this are manifold, including the difficulty in measuring search engine popularity... more
Abstract Much anecdotal evidence suggests that Google is the most popular search engine. However, such claims are rarely backed up by data. The reasons for this are manifold, including the difficulty in measuring search engine popularity and the multiple ways in which the concept can be understood. Here, I discuss the sources of confusion related to search engine popularity.
Little of the work on online credibility assessment has considered how the informationseeking process figures into the final evaluation of content people encounter. Using unique data about how a diverse group of young adults looks for and... more
Little of the work on online credibility assessment has considered how the informationseeking process figures into the final evaluation of content people encounter. Using unique data about how a diverse group of young adults looks for and evaluates Web content, our paper makes contributions to existing literature by highlighting factors beyond site features in how users assess credibility. We find that the process by which users arrive at a site is an important component of how they judge the final destination.
Despite the Internet's increasing importance, there is little social scientific work that addresses its diffusion. Our knowledge is especially limited with respect to the conditions that encourage its spread across nations. This paper... more
Despite the Internet's increasing importance, there is little social scientific work that addresses its diffusion. Our knowledge is especially limited with respect to the conditions that encourage its spread across nations. This paper takes a first step in explaining the differences in Internet connectivity among OECD countries.
Abstract This article presents a test of a recently developed method for studying people's digital literacy. Self-reported instruments pose a risk of misreporting by respondents. Participants in the study are presented with items that are... more
Abstract This article presents a test of a recently developed method for studying people's digital literacy. Self-reported instruments pose a risk of misreporting by respondents. Participants in the study are presented with items that are used to construct a previously established digital literacy measure, interspersed with strategically developed bogus items, to test how the latter measure up against the former.
This paper looks at the largely unexplored terrain of how young people find music that is new to them in an environment with an unprecedented number of possibilities. Digital media has changed not only how artists create and distribute... more
This paper looks at the largely unexplored terrain of how young people find music that is new to them in an environment with an unprecedented number of possibilities. Digital media has changed not only how artists create and distribute content, but also how listeners find and access new material. The new options exist in the context of older traditions such as using one's social networks or traditional media to find content.
ABSTRACT Most studies of the digital divide are concerned with the simple criterion of access, usually in the convenient locale of one's home. That divide could be exacerbated by usage differences after such access has been achieved,... more
ABSTRACT Most studies of the digital divide are concerned with the simple criterion of access, usually in the convenient locale of one's home. That divide could be exacerbated by usage differences after such access has been achieved, however. This article takes advantage of usage data from the General Social Survey and other surveys to examine whether more highly educated respondents also have such advantages in usage processes after access has been achieved.
This paper explores what the tension between information abundance and attention scarcity implies for the diversity of information accessible to users of the World Wide Web. Due to limited user attention, there is a role for gatekeepers... more
This paper explores what the tension between information abundance and attention scarcity implies for the diversity of information accessible to users of the World Wide Web. Due to limited user attention, there is a role for gatekeepers in the online content market. Sites that catalog Web content and primarily present themselves as content categorization services are identified as the gatekeepers in the new information age.
ABSTRACT With the rapid spread of the Internet across society, government institutions are taking advantage of digital technology to distribute materials to citizens. Is merely having a Web site enough, or are there certain usability... more
ABSTRACT With the rapid spread of the Internet across society, government institutions are taking advantage of digital technology to distribute materials to citizens. Is merely having a Web site enough, or are there certain usability considerations site creators must keep in mind to assure efficient public access to online materials? This project looked at typical people's ability to locate various types of content online, in particular, their ability to find tax forms on the Web.
Here, I have chosen to discuss three books in this area of inquiry. They cover the topic at different levels and focus on different dimensions of access and use but they all contribute to a basic understanding of who uses digital... more
Here, I have chosen to discuss three books in this area of inquiry. They cover the topic at different levels and focus on different dimensions of access and use but they all contribute to a basic understanding of who uses digital technologies, who does not, and what may be the social implications of these initial patterns. In Social Consequences of Internet Use (Katz and Rice, 2002), James E. Katz and Ronald E.
The articles in this special issue provide a map for understanding the networks of transfers and relationships that make up the international web of globalization. Globalization involves a variety of links expanding and tightening a web... more
The articles in this special issue provide a map for understanding the networks of transfers and relationships that make up the international web of globalization. Globalization involves a variety of links expanding and tightening a web of political, economic and cultural inter-connections. A variety of data indicate that we are undergoing a process of compression of international time and space and an intensification of international relations.
Since the increasing spread of the Internet across the population at large, there has been much commentary about how we live in an information age (Castells, 1996). The idea that we live in a knowledge society predates the 1990s mass... more
Since the increasing spread of the Internet across the population at large, there has been much commentary about how we live in an information age (Castells, 1996). The idea that we live in a knowledge society predates the 1990s mass diffusion of information technologies (IT) and has been of interest to social scientists for decades (Bell, 1976; Reich, 1992).
The Internet boosts immeasurably our collective capacity to archive information, search through large quantities of it quickly, and retrieve it rapidly. It is said that the Internet will expand access to education, good jobs, and better... more
The Internet boosts immeasurably our collective capacity to archive information, search through large quantities of it quickly, and retrieve it rapidly. It is said that the Internet will expand access to education, good jobs, and better health and that it will create new deliberative spaces for political discussion and provide citizens with direct access to government.
Abstract This working paper reports on a study of new media adopters' perceptions of—and reactions to—the shift from push broadcasting and headlines to the pull dynamics of online search. From a series of focus groups with adults from... more
Abstract This working paper reports on a study of new media adopters' perceptions of—and reactions to—the shift from push broadcasting and headlines to the pull dynamics of online search. From a series of focus groups with adults from around the United States, the researchers document three dominant themes: First, most feel empowered and enthusiastic, not overloaded. Second, evolving forms of social networking represent a new manifestation of the two-step flow of communication.
We are pleased to present the final issue of Volume 2 of Policy and Internet, which contains seven articles investigating public policy issues arising from widespread use of the Internet. Topics include on-line advocacy and policy-making... more
We are pleased to present the final issue of Volume 2 of Policy and Internet, which contains seven articles investigating public policy issues arising from widespread use of the Internet. Topics include on-line advocacy and policy-making responses; the policy implications of virtual books and illegal file-sharing; the dynamics of on-line petitioning; the possibilities of voter advice tools for enhancing civic engagement; and the risks of electronic voting.