SGER: Participatory Democracy and Information Technology: The Use of The Internet in American Elections.

在美国，选民参与率急剧下降，在上次总统选举中只有一半的选民投票。 最近的事件表明，互联网的使用可能扭转这一趋势。虽然技术本身无法重振民主，但作为一种工具，在致力于民主的人们手中，它有望在让美国人参与政治进程方面发挥重大作用。 2003年，霍华德·迪恩在竞选民主党总统候选人提名时广泛使用互联网，数千名热情的支持者通过迪恩网站进行了各种竞选活动，筹集了数百万美元。这项研究将有助于评估电子民主对更大的政治竞技场的影响。互联网工具，包括电子邮件，博客，聊天，电子筹款，专门的网站，竞选组织和竞选档案将进行分析，以了解他们是如何被用来吸引选民和支持竞选。使用扎根理论，该研究将利用对关键竞选人员和支持者的录音采访和观察，以及有关每种工具使用情况的描述性统计数据。 理解新技术工具如何塑造民主是代议制民主未来的一个关键问题。美国在选举总统时，只有不到一半的选民参加。需要与选民沟通和鼓励他们参与的新手段。这些工具似乎正在成为互联网领域的一部分。在计算机介导的通信研究的广泛背景下，PI将能够作出重大贡献，了解互联网工具在接触选民和更广泛的民主参与的更广泛的社会影响。

Rates of voter participation have declined dramatically in the United States to the point where only half the electorate voted in the last presidential election. Recent events suggest that the use of the Internet may reverse this trend. While technology alone cannot reinvigorate democracy, as a tool in the hands of committed people, it is poised to make a significant difference in engaging Americans in the political process. In 2003, the Internet was used extensively in Howard Dean's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination; thousands of enthusiastic supporters conducted a variety of campaign activities via the Dean website and millions of dollars were raised. The research will contribute to assessing the impact of e-democracy on the larger political arena. Internet tools including email, blogging, chat, electronic fundraising, specialized websites for campaign organizing, and campaign archives will be analyzed to learn how they were used to engage voters and support the campaign. Using grounded theory, the research will utilize audiotaped interviews and observations of key campaign personnel and supporters as well as descriptive statistics on use of each of the tools. Understanding how new technical tools can shape democracy is a critical question for the future of representative democracy. The United States came a hair's breadth from electing a president with less than half the electorate participating. New means of communicating with voters, and encouraging their participation are needed. Such tools appear to be emerging as part of the Internet landscape. With an extensive background in the study of computer-mediated communication, the PI will be able to make a significant contribution to understanding the broader social impacts of Internet tools in reaching out to voters and engaging wider democratic participation.