Ks. Rogerson et Gd. Thomas, INTERNET REGULATION PROCESS MODEL - THE EFFECT OF SOCIETIES, COMMUNITIES, AND GOVERNMENTS, Political communication, 15(4), 1998, pp. 427-444
The Internet is often seen as borderless and unmanageable and, therefo
re, not fully understandable. Starting from the assumption that it can
be understood, we begin an attempt to organize the Internet by charac
terizing it as a behavior space in which groups-categorized as societi
es, communities, and governments-interact. We emphasize the utility of
organizing the Internet and focus specifically on attempts by societi
es, communities, and governments to regulate the flow of information.
We posit an Internet regulation process model that, we believe, explai
ns most of the efforts to regulate the Internet. In addition, we provi
de some insight into the relationships between and within the various
groups involved. Our conclusions center on the observation that politi
cal power (especially Western political power) has been a defining fac
tor in the regulation of the Internet as governments have played a pro
minent role in regulatory action.