Rebooting American Politics: The Internet Revolution
The authors ofRebooting American Politicsare not constrained by the tired heuristics, often first constructed in the 1990s, used by most scholars to comprehend the role of information technology in American politics. Instead, in each chapter they bring fresh perspective, theory, and underutilized empirical data to answer a number of the most timely and important questions on this topic. This captivating book is vital reading for those with an interest in understanding many of the key transformations of contemporary American politics. (Brian S. Krueger, University of Rhode Island)This is an important contribution to our understanding of modern political campaigns. Gainous and Wagner have found out that the electronic communication is important to American politics. We now know, definitively, that politicians are media and Internet savvy. Covering balloting, social interaction, and fund-raising, they have thoroughly covered their definition of internet politics. I applaud their attention to detail, organization, and focus. Readers will enjoy the many insights contained herein. (Jeff Gill, president of the Society for Political Methodology, APSA section)Gainous (Univ. of Louisville) and Wagner (Florida Atlantic Univ.) clearly want to legitimize their assessment of the Internet as a "revolution" in politics as asserted in their title. Going beyond speculation and polemics, they valiantly attempt to back up their assertion with empirical data testing of hypotheses. Given the limitations of the data available from Pew Research Center surveys and localized student surveys, they are relatively successful. A number of key questions remain unanswered, but some new insights stand out. Some of the findings seem inconsistent both among samples and categories. For example, Hispanics are high Internet users, but this usage does not correlate with increased participation. Using technological change as an independent variable presents numerous challenges, many of which are frankly admitted. Placing the analysis in the context of previous research is helpful. The detailed methodological discussions within the book interrupt smooth reading, which might put off some readers. The discussion pays considerable attention to the causes and consequences of Internet usage for political purposes by the haves and the have-nots and how this might distort democratic government.(CHOICE)