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The Internet and the political process 369being dependent on the mass media. The Internet frees users to constructtheir own information sets, limiting the role of news editors. Table 16.1shows that the percentage of the US public getting information onlinebecause they consider that the other media do not provide enough informationincreased from 29 percent in 2000 to 43 percent in 2002. This suggeststhat people turn to the Internet for political information when they are dissatisfiedwith traditional media content. Bimber’s (2003) analysis of US electiondata indicates that people who use the Internet for political purposes aremore likely to be skeptical of media information, and may be more independentand self-reliant.Second, the Internet enables users to communicate without interventionby politicians. The Internet thus provides channels of action for peopledisenchanted with traditional politics but desiring some political activity(Coleman and Hall, 2001). This certainly appeared to be the case in pastelections where online citizens ignored campaign websites and engaged in“anti-establishment” activities such as forwarding campaign jokes and vote-Table 16.1 Internet use for political purposes in the US, 1998–20021998 2000 2002Internet use (%) (%) (%)For election news 6 18 13Reasons for going online for electionnewsInformation more convenient – 56 57Not enough information from other – 29 43mediaNews sources reflect personal interests 24 6 8Activities performed by online electionnews consumersResearch candidates’ position on issues – 69 79Research candidates’ voting record 30 33 45Participate in online polls 26 35 39Join discussion/chat groups 13 8 10Contribute money to candidate – 5 5Visit political websites – 19 32Source: Pew Research Center for the People and the Press and Pew Internet and American LifeProject (2003) “Modest Increase in Internet Use for Campaign 2002” (available at www.pewinternet.org)