Helen Margetts, Director of the OII, discusses how the Internet has changed political participation. She begins by examining electronic petitions, stating that they greatly increase participation and extend the range of democratic possibilities, as tiny acts can easily coalesce and grow to large-scale mobilizations. Margetts additionally relates how the ability to know how many people have undertaken a particular action online as well as the power to receive feedback from the actions of others have helped social scientists apply the tools of analysing natural systems to systems of political participation.
