We rely on the internet an awful lot these days for just about everything. Entertainment, information, communication, and even democracy itself seem to be inexorably intertwined within the confides of this vast, digital web. The very concept of “self” has changed, not from the atoms that make up our physical shells, but now to the “bits” that make up our digital personas. In this new existence, we are not measured by physical prowess, but rather, the actions and reputations we build up online. This concept is nothing new, in fact, Negroponte makes the same argument: We do not store information as atoms anymore, but rather, we store information as pixels. In the same manner, democracy has become much less of a physical process; we don’t use scraps of dead trees to vote anymore, we use electronic devices.
Further, as socializing becomes more and more of an online thing, the power structures become mimicked upon it as well, with a few changes. In my experience, most places upon the web serve as monarchies, with a single individual or group of individuals ruling over a large party. This is seen in the form of server admins, owners, and so on ruling over the general user-base. However we must be wary about who we let rule over us. As the rules which govern the net become increasingly under fire by corporate interests, we must remain vigilant and keep steady watch for any signs of our original rights being taken from us.
