But perhaps the problem is deeper: global corporations, media cartels, and powerful bureaucracies are transforming political parties into organizations whose main task is no longer public service, but the protection of specific clienteles and interests. Politics is becoming a battleground for lobbyists; media trivialize serious problems; democracy often looks like a virtual game for consumers, rather than a serious business for serious citizens.
也许我们看到的现象只是一种由新的科技引起的范式转变，没有什么好担心的。但是问题的根源也许比这要深刻：全球化的公司、媒体卡特尔、以及强势的官僚制度正在把政党的主要任务转变成不再是服务大众，而是保护特定客户群和利益。政治正在变成说客的战场；媒体把严肃的问题大事化小；民主常常看起来像是一场消费者的虚拟游戏，而不是严肃的公民面对的严肃问题。