The Politics of Internet Communication (review)

Robert J. Klotz's fascinating book explores the roots and growth of one of the most important tools of communication and political change in human history, the Internet. After a brief introductory chapter, there are five parts to Klotz's work: politics of Internet access, political advocacy on the Internet, government and media use of the Internet, legal and regulatory framework, and global landscape of Internet politics.

Klotz opens by exploring the features and history of the Internet. He nicely explores how the Internet functions as both a personal and a mass medium form of communication. He makes a compelling argument that "Governments have a substantial interest in new methods of communication. The power of a nation partly depends on its communication infrastructure" (5). Klotz then explicates the fascinating dance among government development, private innovation, and government regulation that ultimately created the Internet.

The first section, "Politics of Internet Access," contains three chapters that explore different features of access. "User Base of the Internet" establishes the three eras of Internet development, the places most individuals access the Internet, and the features of the digital divide. "Impact of Internet Use" considers how people use the Internet. Klotz's analysis contends that following e-mail, people use the Internet for entertainment and commerce. In fourth place is government-related activity that Klotz characterizes as political. This activity includes accessing "news" sites. Following brief descriptions of other uses of the Internet, Klotz spends some time exploring sex-related activities from health concerns to pornography. He concludes this chapter by looking at both the social impact and the impact on citizenship of the Internet. This first section concludes by exploring "Internet Access Policy," which considers government's positive orientation to the Internet as demonstrated by guaranteeing access in public places and favorable tax codes that do not impede home access.

Part 2 considers the issues of "Political Advocacy on the Internet." Klotz begins by exploring cybercampaigning. The stories are wonderful. For example, Bob Dole was the first candidate to give his Web address at the end of a political debate. He missed the final period, making the address incorrect, but large numbers of people found the site anyway and crashed it. Klotz nicely compares earlier campaigns to modern ones in terms of fundraising and mobilization. One might be surprised by Klotz's assertion that "a substantial minority of Americans are not regular Internet users. Political use of the Internet remains low" (72). While a substantial number of Americans may still not use the Internet, Klotz does demonstrate the powerful and growing place of the Internet in campaigning, especially since the Internet facilitates the dissemination of information and the mobilization of volunteers. "Party and Group Advocacy on the Internet" demonstrates how interest groups use the Internet to gain visibility and coordinate mobilized efforts.

Part 3 of Klotz's work explores "Government and Media Use of the Internet." The opening chapter establishes the contours of e-government. One learns that while presidents Clinton and Bush both had active Web sites, neither used e-mail for fear that the messages could become part of the public record. In addition to the federal government, state and local governments also provided Internet access for services. In Texas, one can access profiles of those on Death Row including pictures of the inmates, description of the crimes committed, and last words. Checking the site, I was relieved to discover that the pictures were deleted following execution. This chapter concludes by examining government regulation of the Internet. The other chapter of this section, "Journalism and the Internet," explores the relationship between the Web and the traditional news product and the use of the Web by nontraditional news sources. In addition, Klotz recognizes the importance of other forms of "news" such as blogs and the gathering of news independently from news agencies. He realizes that there are huge implications for news agencies with greater Web access.

Part 4 of Klotz's work considers the contours of the...