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As a medium through which candidates court voters, the Internet is unproven.

But as a virtual town square where the politically like-minded can meet and the politically contentious can butt heads, the web represents a potential boon to democratic process.

he 2004 presidential campaign is continuing a long-term shift in how the public gets its election news. According to a survey released in January by the Pew Research Center, the audience for broadcast TV news has eroded significantly, and the Internet, a relatively minor source for campaign news in 2000, is now on par with traditional sources such as public television broadcasts and weekly newsmagazines.

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While the Internet has indeed brought a wider array of information and alternative points of view to more people, experts studying the phenomenon suggest the biggest impact of the medium on the campaign extends beyond imparting information.

“The most profound impact of the Internet on politics is the way it fosters connections,” says Grant Reeher, associate professor of political science at Maxwell and co-author of Click on Democracy: The Internet’s Power to Change Political Apathy into Civic Action

“In the 2000 election, people were largely thinking of the Internet as a replacement for a broadcast device. In 2004, we’re seeing it as a medium for forging connections, creating political bonds, and allowing multi-way communication so that people can link with each other through discussion forums, action forums, and interest groups,” he says.

Indeed, the Internet has allowed thousands of rank-and-file citizens—many of whom have never participated in campaign activities before—to “meet up” and organize. Perhaps the greatest example was the Howard Dean campaign, which embraced the Internet as an integral tool. Although Dean did not win the Democratic nomination, many of his volunteers were recruited through Meetup.org and he raised nearly $40 million via the Internet.

“The Internet itself didn’t make Howard Dean, but it’s impossible to understand his candidacy without looking at the Internet,” says Reeher.

Similarly, John Kerry raised $26.7 million in online donations during the first three months of 2004, including a single-day grassroots fundraising record of $2.6 million raised online on March 7, 2004. “Millions of dollars have been contributed to the various campaigns via the Internet, many by first-time-ever donors,” says Reeher.

The final impact of the Internet on the 2004 campaign is yet to be known. In 2002, a “netizens” movement in South Korea helped nominate and elect Roh Moo-hyn as the South Korean president through an Internet campaign challenging the old guard. Whether the Internet will help overcome barriers to defeating an incumbent—or help him or her remain in office—remains to be seen.

What is known is that more and more people are using the Internet every day, and plain-old information sharing is usually their starting point. Campaign blogs, hot in 2004, may be the Internet version of talk radio. “The Internet gives all sorts of people a forum for putting out their own views,” says Katina Stapleton, an assistant professor of political science who studies the media’s role in politics. “All it really takes is a good access provider and the bandwidth to send it out.”

News no longer has to be broken via the traditional outlets to be important, she says. “The Internet has increased the range of people putting information out. We’ve got trusted news sources, opinion leaders, and regular people analyzing the situation,” she says. “We’re definitely hearing from more and more armchair pundits.”

It’s important to remember that the Internet is relatively new technology. Access to it, as well as the public’s comfort and ability to use it, has grown exponentially since the 2000 election. “In 2000, it was coming of age, and in 2004 it came of age,” says Reeher, “but it’s going to be working itself out for a long time to come.”