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Mr. Keen argues that “what the Web 2.0 revolution is really delivering is superficial observations of the world around us rather than deep analysis, shrill opinion rather than considered judgment.”

Nonsense. What the Web 2.0 revolution is really delivering is more of both, unfiltered by media elites. If you want penetrating analysis, there are plenty of bloggers who can provide it, often bettering the work of the deep thinkers on the pages of the NY Times or the Washington Post. If you're looking for a shrill echo chamber of your own deeply held beliefs, you can find that too, just as anyone could find it on the pages of Mother Jones or the National Review back when there was no Internet.

In any event, such criticisms are pointless. The Internet is here and will not go away. Expressing points of view to a large audience is no longer the privilege of a few columnists. Every American can now make his views known to a vast audience regarding, for example, a horrible immigration bill, and the consequences for the nation are overwhelmingly positive for anyone who believes in democracy.