Does the Internet Narrow Our Political Horizons?

Does an Internet that cloisters us in ideological cocoons hurt our political life? Or are the Webs skeptics just the latest in a long line of alarmists who don’t understand how technology is transforming civic discourse for the better? Optimists cheer the way social media and blogs have broadened our horizons beyond a handful of news networks. They insist that personalization enriches (but does not replace) a responsible media diet and that chance still rules the Web. On April 17, four writers and cyber-philosophers will cross swords over these issues at the next Slate/Open to Debate formerly known as Intelligence Squared U.S. live debate.