The invention of the Web has influenced the world drastically. Talking in real-time to someone on the other side of the planet is no longer an issue. Also, consuming information has become a lot...Show moreThe invention of the Web has influenced the world drastically. Talking in real-time to someone on the other side of the planet is no longer an issue. Also, consuming information has become a lot easier and quicker; think about checking the weather or the news while you are waiting at the bus stop. Network technology has affected almost every part of our lives and therefore, expectations are high when it comes to what the Web can do more. Evidence are the many claims about the Web being a democratizing force in the case of politics for instance. The main question in this thesis is: To what extent does the Web as a thoroughly ‘democratic’ medium with its two-way traffic, helps the exchange of knowledge and thus is contributing to a democratic system in politics as much as its formal characteristics appear to promise? To answer this main question, this thesis will treat several questions first: What does a 'democratizing force' mean? And: What does it mean when someone claims the Web to be a democratizing force? With help from recent case studies, news articles and research in the field of new media, I tried to find answers to these questions.Show less
