If there ever was any doubt about the power of new media, this Presidential election is dispelling a whole lot of them.
- Barack Obama sent out the news of his Vice Presidential candidate to registered Democrats through SMS much before he made the public announcement.
- Ahead of the November elections, Facebook created entries for all US congressional candidates. Campaign staff could personalise the profiles and Facebook members could register their support and add comments.
- Both Obama and McCain have the most sophisticated and up-to-date sites. One look at barackobama.com and you'll know what I mean. Obama doesn't write the blog himself but it's current with the latest updates and events. There are some excellent photographs of Obama and Biden on the campaign trail and videos of events of the night before.
- Quite the same with McCain's website which is also written in third person but has updates, views and perspectives and refers to YouTube for other angles to this election.
It's the age of the new media and it has led to the democratisation of news. Everyone can make news, everyone can write news.
The new media, the social media, that's providing instant feedback to the candidate.
The likes of YouTube, MySpace have created a new source of gathering public opinion about the Presidential election and a new way for you to share your thoughts.
Second Life has become an active arena for campaigners where they hold virtual music festivals supporting Obama and also help direct traffic to online voter registration sites. Politicians in America have a unique opportunity to engage with people directly through a highly interactive and cost effective channel. And they are lapping it up.
And demographics across the board are noticing this focus on the net. Jen Duda, an official at the Mercyhurst College, in Erie in Pennsylvania, says almost half of the college's population of voting age showed some interest in registering their vote after they noticed candidates on Facebook.
Democrats though outpoll Republicans almost five to one on Facebook, and almost three to one on MySpace and YouTube. A recent study conducted by Pew Research Centre contrasted the two candidates' online presence, noting that as of September 9, Obama had 510,799 My Space 'friends' (compared to McCain's 87,652) and more than 1.7 million Facebook pals (compared to 309,591 for McCain).
John Denver, a 22-year-old volunteer at McCain's HQs in Phoenix in Arizona, attributes this mismatch to the age factor and says he joined the work force to dispel this doubt that McCain is simply too old for Facebook.
The fact is blogs and independent news sites are booming. Out of the total 75 million blogs, some observers say nearly 72,000 are political blogs. In an increasingly interconnected world, technology is allowing and encouraging politics to spread beyond geographic borders
So while door-to-door active campaigning is very much on and air waves are being carpet-bombed with ads and commercial documentaries, greater attention to the Internet is helping.
In particular, Obama has engaged with potential supporters on a large scale. He has amassed a network of mostly young volunteers, bloggers and small donors that have enabled him to raise the most money ever of any presidential candidate, some of them contributing just $5 to $10 each.
This Presidential cycle for the YouTube era has proved that no candidate in future elections can dismiss the role of online presence in elections. But many are asking is the Web improving public debate, the political process or the campaigns.
It certainly is inventing a new kind of politics
(Anubha Bhonsle is on the Jefferson Fellowship. She is observing the US Presidential elections from Arizona, Pennsylvania and Ohio)
URBANEYE
Total Comments: 4
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Dear Anubha,
I too agree that today media has become very powerful...be it any source, elctronic, Print or Web based.
From one perspective it is good to have numerous view point, but I see a concern where people are not responsible with the information they are posting. Even Journalist - while reporting we can see that they have already taken side before analysing the core problem and most of the time motive is to only increase TRPs.
Therefore I feel media industry in India still has to act responsible on what they are presenting....and they should not present what visible....but what's not through detailed analysis.
Regrads,
Swapnil. ...Reply
i feel media is giving much mileage to Obama, cain is recieving much lesser attention due to one reason that he is Republican.
He is promising the genuine things and i think his political experience will come handy in taking World economy to the next level in this present financial crunch. ...Reply
hi anubha
id say a very well written account on the election you have conjured up so far. I have been reading all your articles on the USElection so far ever since uve left on the jefferson fellowhips....
There is no doubt of the fact that Media is by and large the main propaganda machine of the current american election. I must rather admit that i find each of the two american parties to be run more like a swift, smooth and highly competitive business enterprise rather than as a democratic chaotic and rusty party (quite unlike those here in india)..
But having lived and travelled extensively both within the US and in India and having observed both elections closely as an outsider and as a technologist, my view is that of limited admiration of the american system as it sure does have its share of flaws and a few very serious ones too for that matter..
i would prefer that you try and cover the darker aspects of the last election and see and compare what measures have been taken to solve the following issues :
1. "six out of every hundred votes cast in the last elections were unable to get their votes counted" .. in other words As many as six million votes were lost in 2004 US presidential election, due mainly to faulty equipment and problems with voter registration...
2. There has been evidence of a vote fraud that took place in the 2004 elections..there were audits conducted which found significant loopholes within the system which could be used to conduct fraudulent voting.
So the point im trying to make here is that the picture is not as ROSY as you are seemingly painting it to be with your blogs...
My advice to you would be that you are there on a scholarship, and though you are free to write whatever you want and/or feelike, i would still expect a person of your standards to be impartial and to paint a complete picture of the election rather than acting as a lame stooch in the awe of the american system..
looking forward to your next post ....
Shuvo
Software Professional
...Reply
Anubha, you are absolutely right when you talk about the power of new media (electronic) and here you are talking about some good purpotedly..in election arena or politicking I may say. It might be creating new wealth ,new faces,new power centres which are dependent on this new medium .
But I would disagree with you because you have touched only 1 aspect medium which is Propaganda which no other medium can do so efficiently. What else it does? Create panic,rumour mongering and the type of journilst coming into this medium leaves so much to be desired. I do not know why there is no self regulation.Take the example of the recent Bomb blast in mehrauli market .One of the hindi channels was seen telling viewers that this bomb had been planted at the wrong place at the wrong time..if it had been done like this...that and what not.
You might say this medium is doing so many good,during..floods,bomb blast,earth quakes thats all laudable BUT that you are supposed to do..its your duty towards the nation and society. Might sound a bit off track .. But sad 2SAY this medium is being used both by left & right as propaganda tool and their responsibility towads society ends there.It could have easily used to strengthen the democractic fabrick of the country BUT sadly its not the case .People who indulge in violence,terror find the place in media and they are being systematically using this medium surreptiously or otherwise to further their cause .Sad to say when there are oppurtunity to corner these people during the Discussion or debates by the channels we have found ..very smartly the discussion is being diverted...and the person goes scot free. Medium is good but the usage needs so much to be desired and lack of professionlism comes to the fore. Media needs to protect itself from such influences which comes from lack of knowledge or indifference or well planned.Sometime back one very important english channel called the Bishops as Mafia that shows the lack of awarness of the concerned journalist and it was surprising that she happens to be such a senior person. You can grind like a machine BUT when that human element ..is missing it Hurts and it HURTS very badly ..sometimes. ...Reply
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