I had this meeting last Friday with my old professor Steve, and while other events this weekend more or less monopolized my mind, the fallout from our marathon four-hour conversation is starting to coalesce.

We were ostensably talking about the book Steve wants to write about addiction and consumerism, but ranged far and wide into politics and the nature of power in American society. One of the big revelations uncovered was the way in which TV culture (and the attendant consumerism) has stripped America of its democratic tradition.

It used to be that our guaranteed freedom of speech was a means of distributing power among the people. Being able to stand up and speak in a public place was actually very empowering because that -- and town-centered newspapers -- was how you got the word out to people. Mass media changed this, and TV really sealed the deal. The freedom to speak is no longer a distributor of political power. Where I jump off, and I didn't really share this with Steve, is that the net is the answer to this problem.

The internet as a medium is one of the few real hopes for democracy in the 21st century. If you buy "The Medium is the Message" then you'll understand why.

Democracy is about empowerment and participation. Television as a medium is non-participatory and disempowering. As I said, the advent of mass broadcast media rendered our much vaunted freedom of speech politically insignificant. You can say whatever you want because it doesn't matter any more. What matters is what's on televsion. That's an unfriendly environment for real democracy.

Alternatively, the internet as a medium is about participation and empowerment for everyone who is connected. All of the best content on the web is independent. All of the best websites -- even those that are now corporate sponsored -- started as ideas that people had. The internet allows you to do and make things, and can connect you with other people.

This difference is very very important. It's not the beginning or end of the world, but it is very important. Should the internet become a mass media to rival television -- and some say it already has -- it will be a step towards restoring political significance to the freedom of speech. This is why it's important for the government to fund the internet, especially with regards to bridging the "digital divide." Everyone needs access because access is the key to empowerment and opportunity here in the 21st century.