“Where in the pre-Internet era there was a vast but limited public sphere... [but now]... there was a vast universe of publicly available data, easily searchable by anyone on the planet with a computer and an Internet connection..." (McNair, 2009: 221).IntroductionThe advent of the Internet has been the both a blessing and a curse. The Internet has made vast amounts of information on virtually any subject available at the click of a button. However, it is most beneficial for those who know where to look. This essay will first examine the differences between obtaining information using traditional media and online media. He will then analyze the different ways of getting information online. It will argue that although the Internet is an inexpensive way to obtain information, can increase citizen participation and lead to the democratization of information, it nevertheless has negative consequences such as fragmentation and public polarization, leading to an increase in the knowledge gap. which creates inequalities due to the digital divide. These questions are of concern for how citizens get their information online and for democracy, as the personalization of the Internet has allowed citizens to obtain only the information they want. This may lead some citizens to tailor their online content so that they can focus on a single issue and ignore everything else, something that was harder to do with traditional media. Traditional media versus online media The introduction of the Internet has changed the way people learn about politics, the level of their political participation and the nature of political debate (Gaskins and Jerit, 2012: 190). This has impacted traditional media sources such as newspapers, radios...... middle of paper ......9), “Towards digital citizenship: tackling inequality in the era of information” In Chadwick, A., and Howard, PN, (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Internet Politics (London: Routledge). Swigger, N., (2013), “The online citizen: are social media changing citizens' beliefs about democratic values? Political Behavior, 35: 589-603. Tewksbury, D. and Rittenberg, J., (2012), Internet News: Information and Citizenship in the 21st Century (New York: Oxford University Press). Ward, S., and Gibson, R., (eds.) (2009), “European Political Organizations and the Internet: Mobilization, Participation, and Change” In Chadwick, A., and Howard, PN, (eds.), Routledge Handbook of Internet Politics (London: Routledge). Wurff, R., (ed.) (2008), “The impact of the Internet on media content” In Kung, L., Picard, RG and Towse, R ., (ed.) The Internet and Mass Media (Sage).