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

美国的选民参与率急剧下降，以至于只有一半的选民在上次总统选举中投票。最近的事件表明，互联网的使用可能会扭转这一趋势。虽然技术本身无法重振民主，但作为忠诚的人们手中的工具，它将在让美国人参与政治进程方面发挥重大作用。2003年，互联网在霍华德·迪恩（Howard Dean）的民主党总统候选人提名竞选中被广泛使用；数千名热情的支持者通过院长网站开展了各种各样的竞选活动，筹集了数百万美元。这项研究将有助于评估电子民主在更大的政治舞台上的影响。包括电子邮件、博客、聊天、电子筹款、专门的竞选组织网站和竞选档案在内的互联网工具将被分析，以了解如何利用它们来吸引选民和支持竞选。利用扎实的理论，该研究将利用录音访谈和对关键竞选人员和支持者的观察，以及对每种工具使用情况的描述性统计。了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。在美国，只有不到一半的选民参加了总统选举。与选民沟通并鼓励他们参与的新手段是必要的。这些工具似乎正在成为互联网格局的一部分。由于在计算机媒介传播研究方面具有广泛的背景，该项目将能够对理解互联网工具在接触选民和促进更广泛的民主参与方面的更广泛的社会影响作出重大贡献。

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.