Already in the 1970's and -80's high hopes for democracy were connected with the rise of technologies like cableTV and digital telephones. This outburst of 'utopian energy' was greatly accelerated with the breakthrough of the Internet in the beginning/middle of the 1990's, and both politicians, ITdevelopers and many academics depicted the new technologies as almost automatically leading to a new 'golden age of democracy' with increased political participation, better informed and resourceful citizens, better and more transparent political