The great weakness of the idea of electronic democracy is that it can be more easily commodified than explained. The commercialization and commoditization of public discourse is only one of the grave problems posed by the increasing sophistication of communications media. The Net that is a marvelous lateral network can also be used as a kind of invisible yet inescapable cage. The idea of malevolent political leaders with their hands on the controls of a Net raises fear of a more direct assault on liberties. That's why this is such a big deal.
Online community reaches deeper than broadcast media.
It touches us at a more emotional level, probably because we know that there is a person at the other end of the pipe. Community sites which shape the communications between those persons, who redefine what they think their online community and culture is all about, have a reach more deeply into that viewer's soul than broadcast advertising ever could. As Rheingold writes, Perhaps cyberspace is one of the informal public places where people can rebuild the aspects of community that were lost when the malt shop became a mall. Or perhaps cyberspace is precisely the wrong place to look for the rebirth of community, offering not a tool for conviviality but a life-denying simulacrum of real passion and true commitment to one another. In either case, we need to find out soon.