Monday, January 30, 2012

Political Campaigns and Technology

Once upon a time, a political campaign worker could knock on a person's door to discuss their candidate. Currently, people are wary of visitors to their front door. Also, campaign workers called possible voters. Today's phones with caller ID alert possible audiences to political calls. However, technology has also brought new ways of connecting to voters. As most Americans are attached to their computers and smart phones, the internet impacts more people than most realize. With these changes, political campaigns have changed forever.

The internet has overhauled campaign finance. Political fundraising began to change in the 80s when computers became more available. Dramatic differences in fundraising today can be attributed to online donors.

Also, political text messages are being sent as campaign marketing. These texts reach younger voters who are reluctant to positively respond to traditional campaign tactics.

Videos that go viral and well placed social networking is the new standard for campaigns. Millions of Americans spend numerous hours daily checking social media. The typical American using social media considers it a valid news outlet. The ability to selectively target users on social media makes it a more powerful advertisement source for politicians. More and more people seek out television news outlets online for their campaign coverage instead of watching the shows. Viewers can impact television news covering campaigns through social media interaction.

The involvement of the internet in campaigning has changed the way politicians recruit help for campaigns. The impressive communication implications of the internet allow for campaign organizers to instantly gather and organize supporters. Public appearances can also be supported with online appearances through the use of streaming video. Independent blogs and websites also have an impressive impact on political campaigns. While these sites were once scorned as inconsequential, they are now considered as actual campaign coverage. Popular blog hosts now offer advice on how political candidates can best use their site to advertise themselves.

The internet is a vital campaign asset because it is actively being used by the audience instead of passively. Advertisements on the radio and television tend to be presented when people are already engaged in another activity, such as listening to music. Candidate and campaign information is more appealing when people choose to look at the information. Connecting with an internet user via mailing list or social media feed allows them to stay connected for the duration of the campaign. Television and radio do not allow a possible supporter to feel so connected to a candidate.

A bright politician understand that it is imperative to utilize social media and technology to be successful in a campaign. Today's voters do not interact with the world the way they once did; this includes getting information on their prospective politicians.


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