Abstract

Analysis of cross-sectional survey data at the country and individual level, as well as the results of an experiment conducted in Bosnia & Herzegovina, substantiate the Internet's interactive effect on satisfaction with democracy. Whereas the Internet positively influences democratic satisfaction in top-ranked democracies, it is associated with depressed satisfaction in countries with weak democratic practices. The experiment results also substantiate the capacity of the Internet's mirror-holding and window-opening functions to influence democratic attitudes beyond satisfaction. Not only does it appear that the Internet enables individuals to better evaluate how democracy actually functions in their own country, but the Internet's global information market also provides users with a more globally-consistent scale by which to make comparative evaluations about how democracy functions in their own nation—seemingly positive forces for democratization. Much to Internet enthusiasts' chagrin, however, this does not necessarily translate into increased tolerance for the process of democratization. Rather, at least in the case of Bosnia, Internet exposure depleted individuals' willingness to stick with the process of democratization.