Decision 2008, The Internet Changed Everything
ADOTAS EXCLUSIVE — The following article will be the first in a five-part series here at adotas.com focused on the role of online culture, journalism, commerce, and advertising in the upcoming presidential election. First, a bit of background regarding the inclusion of online media in American national politics.
In 1996, when home Internet access was slow and relatively novel for most Americans, award-winning journalist Graeme Browning released her prophetic book titled “Electronic Democracy: Using The Internet To Transform American Politics” The title speaks for itself, and her book became an indispensable resource for those who were spearheading the online revolution as it pertains to politics. A second edition with extensive revisions and updates was published in 2002.
So, what has happened since then, besides Google, the dot-com boom and bust, social utilities, rich media, high-speed connectivity, and the maturity of the mobile phone industry? Well, for one thing the politicians have clued in to the potential for mobilizing and engaging their potential constituency by harnessing online culture. This played itself out in a variety of ways, but the numbers speak for themselves.
According to a 2004 report by pewinternet.org, “The [Bush/Kerry] campaigns spent more than $100 on television ads for every dollar they have spent on web ads: $330 million to $2.66 million between January and August, 2004.” At the same time, campaigners learned a great deal about how to use the internet to attract and aggregate viewers, donors, message forwarders, volunteers, and voters during the 2003-2004 election cycle.
The 2004 presidential election was an online trial run or “beta” version by comparison to the current campaign efforts of Obama and McCain. The trend has been for more of the American public to turn away from major TV network news and toward a variety of online sources for information regarding political candidates. In 2000 only 9% of those polled said the Internet had played any role in their decision about who to vote for. By contrast, in 2008 a quarter of all those polled claim online media is their primary source of information regarding the presidential race.
The Internet’s distinctive role in politics has arisen because it can be used in multiple ways. Part deliberative town square, part raucous debating society, part research library, part instant news source, and part political comedy club, the Internet connects voters to a wealth of content and commentary about politics.
Please check back in here at adotas.com for the next installment of this series as we examine the role of the Internet and political fund raising.
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