Like earlier periods witnessing the rise of radio and then television, the birth of the Internet era has generated extensive speculation about the potential consequences of this development for the older news media, for political campaigns, and for civic society. As the Internet has taken off, research has begun to explore the possible consequences for parties, candidates, and election campaigns; for new social movements, interest groups, and organizational activism; and for the policy-making process and governing in an information age. Despite the growing literature in America, we know less about who surfs in other societies.

This chapter compares the social characteristics of Net users in western Europe and the United States, examining the evolution of the information society and the online community since the mid-1990s. We focus on two issues: At the national level, is the information society expanding throughout postindustrial societies, or is a new cleavage emerging between the information-rich and information-poor? And at the individual level, is the Internet community'normalizing’ throughout society, or are clear disparities emerging between the more affluent and better educated and the rest of society? The conclusion of this chapter summarizes the core findings and considers the implications for understanding political communications in the emerging Internet era.

MOBILIZATION AND REINFORCEMENT THEORIES OF THE INTERNET

The explosion in Internet use in postindustrial societies appears to be leading to a sweeping transformation in the major sources of political news, with the rise in online newspapers, broadband television and radio, and new forms of political interaction like online political discussion groups.