Paper Summary:

This paper discusses that "The Internet and Civil Society" by Peter Levine establishes the socialization of Internet and provides a critical analysis of existing dilemmas confronting human society today, people who have access and are active participants of the Internet. The author points out that Levine identifies primary problems in the Internet to be inequality, thin social bonds, and threats to public deliberation online, consumer choice, and privacy. The paper stresses that privacy and consumer choice problems are serious issues about the Internet that do not only concern the society, but also the individual's rights.

From the Paper:

"Inequality is perhaps the most basic, yet crucial, determinant in assessing the functionality of the Internet to the civil society. It is posited that the Internet, upon its emergence, shall break down structures of class extant in the real human society, since individuals coming from different classes interact indiscriminately through the Internet. Levine's discussion, supported by research and studies on the issue of inequality on the Internet, illustrates that in contrast to its egalitarian promise, the Internet actually perpetuates class stratification found in real human societies. This is evident in the control that the upper middle and upper classes have over the Internet, since these classes are the only ones who have access to computers and unlimited Internet access. Rather than stunting it, class divisions have managed to permeate the Internet, resulting to inequality (also called the "digital divide?"."

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