For this blog, I read the Pew Institute’s report on the Internet and 2008 Election. The fact that people used the Internet to get information or to communicate with others about the election is not surprising. The country was swept up in last year’s election because of President Bush’s low popularity and a resurgence of moderates and independents toward the Democratic candidates.
It’s also not surprising that the majority of people who used the Internet and Web 2.0 features such as social media sites were Democratic Party supporters. First, young people were more likely to lean Democrat than older people. That is a fact borne out in the election results. Actually, historically, the numbers generally support that fact. Second is the fact that younger people tend to use social media more than older generations. Finally, the Barack Obama campaign used the Internet with great skill and effectiveness. Their use of the Internet was unprecedented and masterful.
As a student journalist and political junkie, I watched last year’s election with great interest. I lean generally liberal/democratic and I surveyed the Democratic field with a luxurious feeling of confidence; one of these Dems was sure to be president. As the debates went on, I listened to Barack Obama and my heart said “Yes I can.” I went on to make phone calls, contribute to his campaign and find like-minded individuals, all from the Internet. I watched his race speech from the Internet and went on to read the transcript.
The point is, it’s about comfort level. To those who were threatened by the use of new media and new ways of accessing information, saw this change as negative. Young people who didn’t realize the traditional way a campaign communicates and people who were open to using the Internet to get their message across saw it as a positive thing. I think it’s about how comfortable change is for you and how comfortable you are using the Internet and/or accessing information differently. Maybe more people should read Who Moved My Cheese.
November 12, 2009 at 3:22 am |
Getting beyond the “comfort level”, in your analysis, why did more Democratic/liberal leaning media consumers used the web to get their information? Did the GOP blow it or did they just rely more on talk radio to get their political news? Could be an interesting research project.