But all is not perfect online. The quality of discourse is often very low. Discussion is often trivial and boring and bereft of persuasive reason. Those with the most time to spend often wind up dominating the debate - a triumph of quantity of time available over quality of content. It seems like no place for serious discussion.
Information overload is also a problem.
There is simply far too much to read to keep up with. It is all without organization. Recent innovations in the design of software used to connect people to the Net and the process of online discussion itself reveal some hope. Flaming is universal, but different systems handle it in different ways. Both the technology and cultural norms matter.