Emergent Democracy

Joichi Ito: Emergent Democracy

The essay is the result of an experiment, but it is also a good overview
of current thinking about social software and its relevance to political
life. It’s even more interestinig given the nature of the virtual
community that produced it. Joi is international (he was raised and
schooled in both the U.S. and Japan), and he spends much of his life
online establishing casual friendships with other cyberspace denizens
who are spread around Japan, the U.S., and other countries. When Joi
thinks of democracy, he is thinking of both the U.S. and Japan, since he
has roots in both places.

http://joi.ito.com/static/emergentdemocracy.html