Internet and Democracy: A Debate Featuring Jimmy Wales, Andrew Keen, Farhad Manjoo and Micah Sifry

Summary: Top tech commenters Jimmy Wales, Andrew Keen, Farhad Manjoo and Micha Sifry debate the impacts of the internet on democracy and the marketplace of ideas. This program was recorded in collaboration with the Miller Center of Public Affairs, on May 18, 2010. Visit http://FORA.tv to view full-length video of any program featured in this podcast. For more topics on technology, visit http://fora.tv/topic/technology. In less than a generation, the Internet has altered the daily lives of individuals in ways few would have conceived in its nascent stages. Initially a playground for the computer savvy, the world of blogs and tweets has given equal voice to anyone with a computer and a web connection. It is also where Americans increasingly look for news and information -- according to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, last year the Internet surpassed newspapers as the source of national and international news, nearly doubling from the year before. Barack Obama channeled the power of the Internet to reach millions during his presidential campaign, and his administration has launched innovative methods to use the Internet to govern. Debaters include: Pro: Andrew Keen, author, The Cult of the Amateur: How Today's Internet is Killing our Culture Pro: Farhad Manjoo, journalist for Slate, author of True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society Con: Jimmy Wales, founder, Wikipedia Con: Micah L. Sifry, editor, Personal Democracy Forum