SIVACRACY.NET

From the great blog Outside the Whale:

I would argue that the imdb system represents a vibrant form of cultural democracy (of the direct, participatory and reflexive variety), which has all of the trappings of a functioning legal system for decision-making. In essence, imdb can be likened to a state, but a very unique state whose unique brand of democracy may be a model for future forms of decision-making beyond the realm of film criticism. If the imdb web site is a state, then its two branches of government are essentially the executive (those running the web site) and the legislature/citizenry (all those that are granted "citizenship" status by the executive - i.e. registered members who become members of the decision-making apparatus - in someways akin to a legislature comprising all citizens - thus a radical form of direct democracy). Interestingly, there is no judiciary, the integrity of the executive in its performance of its various functions (e.g. accepting and rejecting new members, making sure that the most "useful" comments receive priority status, "weighing" the votes cast on particular films "in order to eliminate and reduce attempts at 'vote stuffing' by individuals more interested in changing the current rating of a movie than giving their true opinion of it" - these individuals are the subversive "terrorists" that threaten the integrity of the system and must thus be rooted out and banished) is only checked by the constant threat that all the members of the site (i.e. the citizenry) will reject the legitimacy of the process and cease to participate (which would essentially "take down" the government). This powerful check seems to be enough to make the system work quite efficiently.