Internet affects the presidential election

Over all the many Presidential elections, 2008 marked the major use of the Internet and the change of how to effectively run a successful campaign using the Internet. The Internet is the main source of the new communication technologies that was the most effective in the 2008 Presidential election. To be more specific, popular websites have allowed for a more creative and worldwide run campaign for every candidate. Facebook and MySpace have become a fundamental tool for the candidates and provides for instant, mass viewing exposure of their views on change for the country. "Democratic party candidate, Barack Obama created a broad grassroots movement and a new method of campaigning by courting and mobilizing activists, donations, and voters through the Internet" (wikipedia article 2008). Each candidate created sites on You Tube and attracted younger voters support. The campaign workers helped keep the sites updated and voters were able to pledge support through each website over the Internet from the comfort of their own home. It provided instant gratification and still kept the voters updated on the future policies and programs the candidates hope to bring to the White House. It is important to appeal to the younger voters because it is their future and the youth should be aware and involved in the government. Candidates realized that the popular Internet sites gain mass exposure and can be cost effective when running an expensive campaign. Using You Tube as a communication network has made a major impact on the presidential election campaign, some are even crediting the site for Obama's successful campaign. It differs from other forms of communication technologies because it is a more current, relevant, popular source that everyone has access to at any time and can be updated instantaneously. The public took advantage of the sites the candidates created and used them as their way of staying informed. It was accepted by the public because anything broad casted over the Internet is seen and heard. The public has become computer savvy and functions by using these sites regularly.


Reference: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_states_presidential-election_2008