Essay on Role of Media in Political Campaigns

President Obama not only was the first African American to be elected, but was also the first presidential candidate to effectively use social media as a major campaign strategy. In many ways the election of Barack Obama mimicked that of John F. Kennedy, both having changed politics forever. For John F. Kennedy it was the television and for Obama it was the internet. Barack Obama’s strategy of using the internet as a campaigning tool was a key to his victory in the election. He used the internet to organize his supporters. He had many more friends and followers on his Facebook and Twitter than his opponent John McCain did. The social media landscape looks a lot different now. There has been an increasing number of social media tools now than there were

November 4, 2008 marked a monumental moment in United States history. American presidential elections were revolutionized because of the 2008 presidential election between democratic candidate Barack Obama and republican candidate John McCain. After eight years, President George W. Bush., Americans were waiting for, what would be the key word of this election - change. The U.S. had the opportunity to witness history with either the first African-American president or first female vice president. It was a full year of pricey campaigning, nationally broadcasted debates, and party strategies, media controversies involving candidates and their families. It also was a year where America realized how the Internet can affect an election. In June

Candidates campaign to gain voters on their side by using the internet, TV, radio and they also post signs to persuade the public to their side.

America’s history of Presidents has been a long and grand one. With many close races, campaigns have been a crucial part of gaining votes. However the campaigns today are completely different compared to those before those before the nineteenth century. The ideals behind each voter differed greatly and the way each party gathered votes may have been considered strange today. Compared to the days where direct appeals were looked down upon, the American society has adapted itself with the advancement media and technology has made such appeals a common thing. Political parties have had to adapt to these

Political campaigning is now the full-fledged live version of chess, with pawns, queens and kings, but is all this parading and strategizing actually important? What is even the purpose behind political campaigns; is it to inform the public about a candidate or through clever means to win an election at all costs? The truth of the matter is that campaigns do actually serve an important purpose in the political world of America. Its purpose is to help inform voters about candidates and to improve the number of voters at the polling place. In order for these goals to be achieved there needs to be a clear platform upon which the campaign is built.

Congress, 80% of our representatives use social media to engage with constituents. That has never been done before and is changing how politicians respond. We even see some votes in Congress made based on their Facebook feedback.”(The Economic) The Internet is like being there in the whole scene. Missing out information is impossible, a simply Google search, all the information is stored. When computers came out, it cost thousands, now it’s cheaper and faster. There’s tablets and phones with the opportunity to surf the web. More than half the candidates have some type of social media, either them or a fan.

The purpose of campaigns is to reach voters and inform them about their politician’s platform. This is the basic definition of campaigns. Sometimes this gets lost in translation, meaning that many campaigns veer off from this definition. In today’s generation, many campaigns are too involved with making headlines by using unrelated statements or criticizing other campaigns, also known

A campaign is an effort by political candidates and their supporters to win the backing of donors, political activists, and voters in their quest for political offi ce. Campaigns precede every primary and general election. Because of the complexity of the campaign process, and because of the amount of money that candidates must raise, presidential campaigns usually begin almost two years before the November presidential elections. The campaign for any offi ce consists of a number of steps. Candidates must fi rst organize an exploratory committee consisting of supporters who will help them raise funds and bring their names to the attention of the media and potential donors. This step is relatively easy for a candidate currently in the offi ce. The current offi ceholder is called an incumbent.

In the Youth Survey conducted by Project Vote Smart, respondents aged 18-24 chose the World Wide Web as their most useful information source (“General Population”). McCain is utilizing the power of the Internet to build mailing lists, solicit contributions and to attract young voters, many of whom are “more acquainted with computer networks than political networks” (Sullivan, “Virtual”). The Internet has proved to be an important organizing tool in McCain’s campaign. Young people interested in becoming involved in his campaign will find a web site that devotes an entire page to each youth organization in each state. Pages consist of upcoming events, biographical information, photographs, links and contact information, putting various aspects of McCain’s campaign at the very technologically advanced fingertips of America’s youth (“Students 4 Dole”). Each page varies; some simply list contact information, while others have inspirational letters from McCain supporters and extravagant graphics like waving state flags. “Virtual” volunteers assist electronically, emailing everything from

Over the years the media has made citizens major role players in politics. Ross Perot opened eyes by putting the 1992 Election in the media and thereby allowing voters to become directly involved in politics. The Internet, the new form of mass media “has turned into a major political and media industry” (Grossman 16). Because of the rise the Internet has taken, the idea of direct democracy has risen. The foundation of direct democracy is in self-government. The claim is that the presence of the Internet will increase citizens’ involvement in political issues by allowing them access to more information. This is significant because it takes a look at the impact of technology on society and politics, as well by

Campaigns is one of the biggest events in the United States, when it comes to elections and choosing the new president for the next 4 years. People go out and vote for who they claim to believe will be the best fit for the presidency of the US. Studies have shown that campaigns do matter to the public and that it can actually change people’s behavior of how the feel about certain topics. People’s ideology can change really quick depending on how they feel about things, for example some people have change parties from republican to democrat or the other way around. Jacobson believes that campaigns do matter and a lot specially because they always change people’s behavior, he mentions that “Her analysis focuses on one funda- mental, the state

In campaigning, media coverage plays a large role for candidates. They use the media to make their name heard and image seen. “Nearly everything a candidate does is geared toward the media, especially television” (Stuckey, 1999, p. 99) Candidates make appearances on talk shows,

Reform agendas presented by the candidates result in vibrant democratic politics, which requires the conscious participation of citizens. It provides a chance for citizens to engage in political activity with others. Political campaigns enable the citizens to contribute to the nomination process thus choosing the best candidate in their party. American politics involves candidates who mostly make unambiguous statements thus conveying their message to the citizens effectively. This means that the citizens have a solid basis on which to make decisions during the nominations and the elections. Distortions in communication due to misstatements are reduced by the accuracy and lack of ambiguity in information communicated the candidates (Schmidt, Shelley, & Bardes, 2009). The campaigns are effective since they result in the election of candidate with the most promising policies and reforms. The focus of the campaigns is national and social issues, which results in election and nomination of candidates that are nationalistic and with ideologies that are acceptable by most of the citizens.

In the writing by Briggs (Young People and Political Participation: Teen Players) she notes that “social media are a critical new space for political discourse and engagement, which political institutions cannot afford to neglect” as the younger audiences use social media, and the people they follow as a guide it seemed vital that modern day politics has to infiltrate social media formats. This can be utilised by politicians and their agenda to widen the scope of their message. In the Praeger Handbook of Political Campaigning in the United States, Benoit investigates how successful an organised strategy using new media to win an election can be for political candidates. He states that “the innovative use of new media contributed to President Barack Obama's presidential campaign win in 2008” (Benoit, 2016). Obama's presidential campaign was one of the first to set the standard for political strategy online. The literature talks about the expansion of the internet and how that has provided a suitable platform for political agendas to grow exponentially. With the focus of the research project highlighting the specific use of social media it is important to reflect on the initial stages of online political campaigning, and to understand how Trump has cultivated this style of political

Social media has grown at phenomenal rates over the past decade, with its rise being easily visible in several fields such as publishing, business, and activism, among others. The rise of its use in the field of politics is well known by those who are on and off social media, as a result of increasing number of politicians using this global platform to their maximum advantage.