How politicians are currently reaching potential voters: the Internet

Our society is changing, technologically and otherwise, and makes it very difficult for politicians to reach voters their traditional ways. Before, voters could be reached via home phone and paper mail. Commercials were also very effective before, but as TiVo and DVR become more common in homes, they can be easily surpassed. Those who have a home telephone are no longer in the majority, and cell phone companies do not give out a phone directory that is accessible to politicians. Not only this, but paper mail is not read quite as often because with online bill paying, people no longer have to wait for their paper bills to arrive. With all of these changes, politicians need a way to reach voters that is different from the traditional means of communication; the Internet.

The Internet provides many different avenues for political communication. Many politicians have made social networking sites, on networks like Facebook and Twitter, in order to reach the younger generation. Participation in these sites is effective because it sends out daily messages which are simple and easy to understand to the “friends” of these sites. It can bring about the topic or platform of the candidate without causing discrepancies, because the casual setting makes these topics less controversial. They are also presented in a less controversial way, as to not detour friends that may not be the same political affiliation as the candidates. For example, here is a recent status update from John McCain, “CIT Bankrupt – taxpayers investment of $2.3 billion wiped out,” instead of stating plainly, “Obama misuses taxpayer dollars” or something of the sort. This way, people are not turned off to the statement, especially Obama supporters. He can’t say, “I was right, taxpayer dollars are being misused and if I were president this wouldn’t be happening,” so he has to do it subtly.

Twitter is also a great way for politicians to reach supporters and those who are politically inactive. Many of the people who are not extremely active in politics have these social sites and Twitter, for example, can involve these people constantly. If someone follows a politician, they can see their every update right on their home screen. This is nice because they see that these politicians are not just politicians, they are people. Yes, some updates include policies and comments that are similar to their current predicament, politically, but there are also many updates about every day things. For instance, the politician could say, “Bronco’s vs. Steelers tonight, hoping the Donkey’s pull through” or something of the sort. This is in some ways homophily and they reach potential voters on an entire new level. If the voters feel like they have something in common with the politician, like I stated in my earlier blog about Obama and homophily, they will be more likely to vote for and like the candidate. Politicians are dishonest; they do what they have to in order to win an election or win votes for a policy. This small piece of their personal lives helps the voters look at the better side of these politicians.

Status updates on Facebook and Twitter are among the few ways politicians can reach voters via the Internet. The next which is also effective is Gmail. Many people have no idea that every email you send on Gmail is run through a process and then advertising in your email is based on what you write about. For example, if someone sends you a YouTube video of Barack Obama or George W. Bush, Gmail will then advertise candidate web sites or blogs on the side of your inbox, where it is easily accessible, and probably something that the account holder will be interested in.

Another way politicians can make connections with their potential voters and also bring up policies in a more casual way is through blogging and town hall meetings. Reading a politicians blog is much more interesting than reading a mailer or a piece of paper that is hung on your door knob. When I get mailers, or door hangings, I know that I just throw them away and do not give them a second’s glance. I am sure many people are the same way, because we just see it as a nuisance clogging our mail box. Blogging can tell the people reading them the day to day struggles with the lives of being a politician and also can portray their policies in a simpler manner. Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR: 3rd District) isn't blogging yet, but he began hosting an online town hall chat with his constituents. This is pretty amazing- people do not have to leave their home to be involved in a town hall meeting. This way, many more can be held, and people like single parents, or people that work at night, can maybe participate whereas before they could not. The ability for the Congressman to send email invitations for people to join a town hall chat is amazing, and will be very effective in getting more people to be involved in current politics.

An obvious way politicians can reach potential voters is through their web sites. During an election, every potential candidate has their own web site. Through this site, they post their positions, background, current issues, ways for people to volunteer, a blog, national highlights, and an area for people to donate. Anything that anyone wants to know about a politician can be looked up in just seconds. This is a great resource for the uninformed voter, because they can look up the candidates’ positions and make the best decision for them.

Although the Internet makes it more efficient for politicians to reach constituents, it can also be problematic for them. Not only do candidates and politicians have Twitter and Facebook, but the rest of the country can have it as well. People are constantly posting updates about something they do not agree with politically, and everyone can see it. Just as the politician’s updates can help them, the updates from non supporters can hurt them. When Sarah Palin wrote on her Facebook account that the Healthcare Reform included death boards, there was an up roar all over the country. It didn’t even take a day for the press to get a hold of it and for Obama and Healthcare Reformation supporters to have to form some type of defense for the misinterpreted information. This brings up another good point about the Internet: news travels fast. In this example, the Obama Administration was hurt temporarily until the “death boards” controversy was cleared up, but usually, the Internet making news travel quickly is a good thing. These politicians are reaching the people quicker.

Blogging, which as stated before can really help the politicians, can also hurt them. Many people, without any type of credentials, can have blogs where they depict and twist the words and policies of politicians which is detrimental to them. Bloggers read each other’s blogs, and then respond to them, and write other blogs in response. With each step, the information becomes more and more skewed, and eventually the information that these bloggers are writing about politicians is hardly true. When many people read these blogs, however, they do not take that into account and maybe take what is said to heart.

The Internet has brought about a more efficient means of communication where politics are concerned, but simultaneously has brought about an entire new list of issues. Before, when the media would not choose to focus on something, it was left out. Now politicians have to watch their every move because it is all documented via the Internet, but they can now, at the touch of a button, share their ideas and policies to millions of people.