Corporate Sponsorship of President '96

Questions of regulation of information hinge on sponsorship- in other words who (if anybody) controls this site through investment and design? The answer for President '96 lies at the top of the site's initial page:
"Crossover Technologies, The Markle Foundation and America Online present President '96." This coalition represents a variety of businesses with different objectives. Crossover Technologies is a developer of interactive entertainment and information products. It markets entertainment, and one would assume that its contributions to the simulation center around making the site as fun and easy to use as possible.

The Markle Foundation, on the other hand, is a grant-making foundation dedicated to communication technologies. Its description sounds benevolent enough, but the fact that it has contributed money to the simulation's development indicates that the group has a vested interest in the way that the site functions and the results of the process.

America Online, an online server, crows that "President '96 is a new class of service that integrates a universally available Web Area with proprietary content exclusively for AOL subscribers." AOL's participation in this project appears to be motivated by the marketing potential that President '96 provides. While anybody can have basic access to the site, only America Online members are allowed the extra perks of special guests and additional participation.

President '96 attempts to create community and discussion not only to foster greater democratization, but also to expand market bases for corporations. Perhaps this experiment in cyberdemocracy could function more like Habermas' public sphere of discouse among equals if it were administered by non-business interests, but well-funded alternatives are few. Government sponsorship might introduce prejudice by those in office- they could dictate what stories are told and set their own agenda by designating particular issues for display.