Politics

When the world turns to digital media as a leading source for their news and information, it’s really no wonder that the strategy for political campaigning in recent years has changed to incorporate the use of technology. Research by the Pew Research Centre found that during the 2010 54% of US adults turned to online sources for information on the United States mid-term elections. This trend is likely to be influenced by the successes of social networking sites and the fact that by that time politicians are were beginning to invest more and more into their online campaigns on Facebook and Twitter for example. In a world of flexi-hours, over time and busy, fast paced lives it can be difficult for people to find the time to sit down and watch the evening news. Through the use of social media politicians can advertise their campaigns in a way in which they are engage their audience. Through method of campaigning politicians give the online community an opportunity to share new ideas, and support for a political campaign can be very visible online, even in the sense that it can motivate voters to interact with one and other. Rheingold’s theory of online communities has never been more relevant to the campaigners. Online, it’s possible for people to group together, this sense of empowerment of the people can benefit politicians in better understanding what is relevant to the community. Not only will candidates have to look good but they will need to be able to appeal to their target audience. President Obama’s 2012 presidential election campaign is a perfect example of this. Not only did Obama spend 10 times more on digital campaigning than his opponent Mitt Romney, he gave himself an ‘uber-cool’ image with an artsy, almost hipster touch his campaign imagery. As a result, 25% of those who did vote for Obama announced who they would be voting for via social media, as opposed to the 20% of Romney voters who did so. While it’s shown that the digital aspect of a political campaign can sway voters in favour for a politician, if care is not taken social media can destroy campaigns. In the case of US Senator George Allen, we can see how negative video footage of a politician putting down an opponent can very quickly spread on the internet and lose would-be voters. To be successful at the current time, campaigners must adapt to appeal to voters of all age demographics, especially the younger generations who are most comfortable with digital media. I believe in the future we will see far more politicians investing more into social media. I think if they are smart, campaigners will make more of an effort to poll internet followers on the changes they’d like to see happen and to measure their successes. In a time when a great many of us have smart phones, why wouldn’t politicians do more to produce apps that both promote their campaign and give people an opportunity to have their say?



http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/july-dec12/download_11-16.htmlhttp://www.charleneli.com/2012/10/obama-vs-romney-in-social-media-whos-using-it-best/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r90z0PMnKwIhttp://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/The-Internet-and-Campaign-2010.aspx