This is taking place. Some developmental countries that skipped television, or perhaps even the industrial revolution, may be going straight to digitization without some of our regulatory precedent holding them back. The impact of digitization on countries in formative stages, such as those in the former Soviet Union or the Third World, is only beginning to be felt and studied. But here in our own country, through digitization, some formerly underrepresented groups may have the possibility of being heard in a way that was impossible when media production required specialized equipment, specialized training, and expense. We can benefit from the democratizing potential of digitization.
Information is accessible in ways that render powerless the people who seek to contain it.
Digitization has upset the balance of power . Anyone can send a message to the president. Anyone can set up a printing shop to expound his or her ideas, like the pamphleteers of the past, but likely with more effective results. The Internet itself grew because people enjoyed communicating with each other. The traditional media has been destabilized.