Issue 2, 2006   

New movements in the internet?

Gerd Mielke, A big construction site. Remarks on the SPD within the Große Koalition, FJNSB 02/2006, pp. 7-21.

Gerd Mielke's article deals with the role of the SPD within the Große Koalition. Party's leadership does hardly recognize problems, which enforce themselves reciprocally. This leads to the party's weakness: a false perception of the electorate and a detached development in the party program. Argueing about their position, SPD should discuss these issues in context. Solving these problems is the pivotal task, to attract more voters.

Ann Zimmermann, Online-spheres of public and Civil Societyt: New chances for visibility in mass-media? FJ NSB 01/2006, pp. 22-36.

Using the data from the EU research project Europub Ann Zimmermann analyzes, if the web offers better opportunities than conventinal media for civil society organisations to spread information. Offering directly information on the web they can bypass the conventional media. The visibility of this information depends on the user´s strategies of search. Looking at certain policy fields it is found that mainly state actors offer information on the web. So the balance of power on the web is similar to the one in the real world.

Jan Schmidt, Social Software: Managing information, identity and relationships online, FJ NSB 2/2006, pp. 37-47.

Social Software, enables creation and maintainance of social networks on the world wide web. Managing information, identity and relationships have developed as the main patterns of action. Analyzed are wbelogs, wikis and systems of items. Besides basic opportunities the article shows also the potential concerning political communication. But there may be also conflict since different forms of communication occur, namely established ones besides those, which foster equality. Furthermore are there no equal chances in using social software and user offer a part of their privat sphere to the public.

Markus Seifert, New Democracy via WorldWideWeb? On the Web´s influence on civic political communication, FJ NSB 2/2006, pp. 48-59.

Using the data from the DFG-supported research-project "Political Onlne Communication" the thesis is tested, if the Web mobilizes citizens to participate in political communication. Assuming that there is a causality between use of the web and individual political communication, it is assumed that the effect is stronger for higher educated people. Mobilization can be shown only for higher educated people, so that there is probably a digital divide within society.

Christoph Bieber, Weblogs and Podcasts: On the architecture of participation, FJ NSB 2/2006, pp. 60-67.

Taking a look on the 2005 election campaigns in Northrhine-Westfalia Christoph Bieber describes new forms of political communicationon the web. Weblogs, homepages with topical entries and comments, as Podcasts are charactarized as public spheres. There is communication on politcal topics within certain groups on the web. Since everyone can be also author, not only recipient there is a chance for exchange and plurality of offers.

Kathrin Voss, Everything online? Impacts of online-media on intern and extern communications of Nongovernmental Organisations, FJ NSB 2/2006, pp. 68-76.

The article analyzes the use of internet within nongovernmental organisations, comparing Germany and the United States. Different forms of communication are analyzed, refering to intern communications and public relations.The use in the US is professionalized. The eased communication between NGOs, public and political responsible persons are perceived as possibility. In the US decision-making ist supported by the interactive potential and broadening of communication-channels. These developments cannot be found in Germany.

Marion Hamm: Protests in the hybrid space of communicatins. On media-usage of Social Movements, FJ NSB 2/2006, pp. 77-90.

Marion Hamm analyzes how local protest on the streets uses media. Contemporary protest contains different spaces: street, communication via web and alternative media within the conventional massmedia. Traditional patterns of protest, taking place on the streets, is backed up by adopting lots of media techniques. The author describes the emergence of Indymedia and the Independent Media Centers. Modern technologies of communication can influence the the perception of geographical and social distances. So there appears new scope for political action and social movement's protest.

Julia Eikmann, The Blogosphere: Teenager finding their identity andprofessional one-man-journalism, FJ NSB 2/2006, pp. 91-96.

The phenomenon "Weblog" highly attracts media. Userfriendly tools enable millions ofpeople to publish theit own magazine dailyon the web. Assuming that new media oust old ones there is a pressure on established journalism. Julia Eikmann offers categories to describe the German Weblog landscape. She finds that blogging does not replace but complements established media. Blogging offers the opportunity to spread information for certain peergroups, which are underrepresented in the established media.