About
The Internet was supposed to usher in an era of expanded democracy. This grassroots technology gives voice to the many. Anyone with access to the Internet can make their opinions heard without interference from the gatekeepers.
What we see today is a breakdown in the civility of discourse and a polarization of ideas. This deluge of information and access to a mouthpiece has, in many cases, created a hostile environment to the concept of democratic discourse and instead encouraged a type of antidemocratic tribalism to flourish.
As part of a graduate program, this site has been constructed with two purposes in mind. The first is to provide a place for insightful debate and discussion to occur. The second is to use it as a lab for applying discourse theories related to online discussion and analyze the results.
The intent is to foster diversity of opinions, spirited debate, discovery of common ground, encourage action and participation in the democratic process, and inform and be critical of the sources of the information from which we depend.
To be informed one must not only access the information available about those in power, but also be critical of the information being offered. This is more imperative today when 90% of our media is owned by only six companies. It is not audacious to state that the public is not well served by our current media and communication structure. As such, it is imperative that we educate ourselves as to not only the message but what and who is behind the message.
Along the top of the page is a tab for the Political Ideology Test. It is a good resource for helping to understanding our own beliefs and how they compare nationwide. I also encourage people to complete it and indicate the results on the Poll.
Blogging available to all authenticated users. Simply select the Create content link in the navigation block at the right column. The Blog tab at the top allows you to track your blogs as well as all others on the site.
To encourage and assist in the use of factually accurate data rather than relying on opinion and conjecture, there are links to fact checkers located along the top.
A Vocabulary link is maintained to assist in establishing common meaning of terms used in posts.
Newsfeeds provide content for discussion as well as for staying informed.
The First Blog goes into further detail as to the motivation and intent of this site.
CONTACT:
Explore the site and feel free to make suggestions, offer criticism, ask for help, or just drop a comment to seandixon@blankstare.org
To report issue of abusive behavior such as spamming, trolling, violent and/or abusive comments, direct emails to abuse@blankstare.org
