Jay Adelson's concept of “digital democracy” is based on the idea of community. In his podcast for The Times, he explained: “For this idea to reach its full potential, as with any democratic process, there needs to be active participation by a large, diverse community. The internet is merely the platform.

“Just like in a democratic society, the democratisation of information means that content and information, from news stories to videos to music, get prioritised by the collective vote of the internet community.”

The internet has created new “communities” and sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube have marched into global consciousness.

From its origins among a network of Harvard students, Facebook has generated thousands of groups founded on the shared interests of its estimated 39 million members. By connecting globally, Mr Adelson believes that the community helps to chart a course through the overwhelming amount of information available online. The emergence of internet communities has ushered in other changes. As more people post personal details online, from hobbies to favourite films to relationships, advertisers have been attracted to networking sites that have, in effect, negated the need for market research. Internet users are quick to tell the world what they like, making it easier than ever for advertisers to target them.

However, a darker aspect of online communities has emerged in the UK, after the series of teenage suicides in Bridgend. Some commentators have argued that tributes posted to the victims on sites such as Facebook and Bebo glorify the deaths.

Online communities are still new and so perhaps inevitably problematic. But Mr Adelson emphasised their importance in what he said was the inexorable move towards a more democratic approach to information.

“Ultimately, this shift is levelling the playing field in creating a more vibrant marketplace for content and ideas to everyone's benefit,” he said.

Pioneering vision

Jay Adelson is one of the original internet whiz-kids. Born in 1970, he started his career in film and broadcasting but moved into the fledgeling internet industry in 1993. He helped to engineer Netcom, one of the first web service providers in the United States, and co-founded Palo Alto Internet Exchange, before moving on to create Equinix, the data centre group, in 1998. Mr Adelson helped to launch Digg, based in San Francisco, in 2004 with its founder Kevin Rose, another emigré from the television industry. Now the site draws more than 20 million visitors a month. In 2005, he and Mr Rose launched Revision 3, the internet television provider. According to Digg, Mr Adelson counts among his passions “toppling ancient and corrupt monopolies”.

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