Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Internet's Involvement on Political Campaigns


   A strong force driving political elections is the direct access medium of the Internet. In the past candidates did not have the means of direct communication with the public. Voters con go online and visit a candidates website to obtain information about where the candidate stands on a particular issue, make a contribution, or even volunteer to help the candidates party (Pavlik & McIntosh, 472). However most of the successful candidates have gone far beyond a simple website to communicate with the public. It is said that President Obama owes his election win to the Internet. By collecting small donations by the public obtained via the web, Obama became the first presidential candidate to refuse taxpayer funding (Pavlik & McIntosh, 473). The Internet has become a powerful tool utilized many candidates and has changed the way the public views candidates.

Pavlik, J.V., & McIntosh, S. (2004). Converging Media. A New Introduction to Mass Communication. Oxford, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.

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