It is no question that the Internet is a bigger form of mass media, almost in its own realm. Using text, sound, video, interactivity, customization, pushing of information by message creators, and pulling of information by consumers all make the Internet an ideal marketplace for political campaigning. Trent and Friedenberg predicted that in the 2008 presidential campaign ads would be tested online before broadcasted on television. This is indeed true. As the authors have also mentioned, due to the decision by the Federal Election Commission, any content created for a campaign used for web ads, websites, or e-mail is not subject to campaign finance regulations. This does not include paid ads for other websites. The freedom of message creation and cheap feedback can dynamically change a campaign from its very core.
One gross underestimation by the authors is their comparison of the 2004 election with this one. Four years have passed, and more people are online. Not only that, but a great increase in voting-age citizens has also occurred. More people rely on the Internet for information; more people check their e-mail multiple times a day; more people subscribe to RSS feeds for a daily dose of customized literature. By the next election, I feel it is safe to say that the Internet will be the primary focus of a campaign using mass media.
Already Obama has raised record amounts of money from his website. Credible news sources use each candidate's website for information to write articles. As I've mentioned before: the book is already outdated, and it was published this year.
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3 comments:
It's increasingly important for caniddates to keep up to date in using modern communication stratiges to maximize their influence on the electorate. In this age of internet, candidates won't fail to grasp every opportunity to make use of internet for their campaign purpose.The content of candidate website is various and includes both first tier and second tier content. Their different features can best serve the candidate to attract and influence the audience's attitude towards the candidate.
I still say direct mail (via the Pony Express) is one of the best ways to get the message out about a candidate and his positions. The ability to focus-fire on a particular demographic is priceless, even though there really is a dollar amount attached to mailing.
The internet is number 2. People check their snail-mail boxes daily, and look through it all in almost the same fashion as their email boxes. The difference is that email and the internet is like shooting a shotgun off up into the air and hoping that the pellets fall and hit their target.
AND DOWN WITH INTERNET REGULATION!!
The internet is huge and will continue to grow, and it is going to become extremely important in a political campaign (it already is, actually). But I agree with Matt. Direct mail is, and will continue to be, the most accurate way of reaching “the right people”. You can’t compete with that.
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