The myth of online politics (Score 1)

In 1995 or 1996, when the web first began to catch on in the maintstream, a few commentators forecast that the Internet would have a revolutionary impact on US politics. After all, said the commentators, information and communication are essentially free on the Internet. They said that politicians would be able to communicate with millions of voters for pennies, instead of the millions of dollars that television commercials costs. Well, here we are: the fabled year 2000, with 50 million people online. And politicians and political actions groups have raised (and spent) more money than in any previous election. In New Jersey alone, Senate-candidate Jon Corzine has spent $30MM on the Democratic primary. The only difference in this election is that politicians now have to allocate some of their precious dollars to websites and banner ads. The problem isn't just the politicians. It is also the voters themselves. Yes, the Internet has been used, to a limited extent to mobilize politicized groups (e.g., WTO protesters in Seattle; abortion rights activists). But, the (great) majority of voters are still content to sit back and watch their candidates on TV, carefully edited into easily-digestible three- and thirty-second soundbites. So, my question for Scott is: What is going to have to change before citizens start to take control of the political system and start using the Internet to talk back to the politicians? How can the Internet be used to channel every-day citizens' political concerns in such a way that politicians can no longer afford to ignore them?