Over fifty percent of all internet users have broadband or cable speed connections. President Bush wants that everybody to have high speed access within three years. The result will be that the low tech websites will drop off the acceptability level, leaving only the large commercial sites that can afford the bandwidth, upgrade their site on a regular basis, and continually market their site. The “rebel fringe” had their heyday with the early internet, being able to build acceptable websites quickly and cheaply to promote their agenda. Universal broadband connections means only the large, well funded activists will be able to maintain visibility – and the cost to them will accelerate exponentially from now on, as they are overwhelmed by powerful conservative interests. Web users will increasingly expect to be entertained by lavish multi-media websites, before they even think to read anything – much less anything that is even slightly askew to the status quo.
The internet, once a powerful force for change, is increasingly an even more powerful force to quell change because the truly motivated free thinkers will spend all their money trying to make their voice heard; and when they quickly run out of funds, their voice will be gone forever. The only such websites with any reasonable chance of surviving are ezines and they will be coerced into conformity by advertisers, as new charges for email delivery by mass emailers force an increasing dependence upon these advertisers.
It is understandable that you believe all of this to be if not made up, then extreme. However consider recent comments by Elton John on the “American Idol” singer contest, in which he was abhorred by the extreme racism of the voters (20 million people cast votes) by consistently relegating very obviously talented black artists to the last place. The moral is that if it’s done by a democratic action, then it’s not racism.