Virtual Communities

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The book critically examines how contemporary Internet technology influences civic engagement and democracy, focusing on the structural features of thirty award-winning online community websites. It reveals a tension between the ideals of individual autonomy, egalitarianism, and freedom of speech versus the realities of exclusivity, commercialization, and corporate surveillance. Promises of social empowerment are often compromised by consumerist and therapeutic frameworks, ultimately leading to a commodification of community that undermines genuine democratic practices.