Politicking Online Reinvigorates Voters
By Laura DL Bracken
Does it seem like our red/blue/green politics are all spin and pedestrian sound bites?
Well, think again.
In this presidential election year, online politicking has become an alternative way to energize voters. And it seems to be working.
Already, thousands of potential voters are donating money and signing up as volunteers via the Web. Called Online Political Citizens by the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet, a foundation administered by The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, these OPCs are not cyber-geeks, but opinion leaders and voters who appear to have higher incomes and are significantly more likely to donate money to candidates.
According to IPDI, as early as December of last year, 46 percent of the OPCs had already made contributions to a candidate or political party compared to 10 percent of the general public, and of the 87 percent of the OPCs who receive political e-mail, 66 percent forwarded that e-mail to friends and colleagues.
This translates into a cyberspace battleground that uses 21st century tools such as Web ads, Web videos, Web games, and e-mail.
It's obvious that candidates are trying to exploit the interactive, instantaneous nature of the medium's political benefits. For example, if you type "John Kerry" into the search engine Google, the Republican National Committee has an ad for its kerryoniraq.com web site, while Democrat John Kerry has paid for ads that have run on the New York Times' and other web sites.
Certainly, no one really believes that the White House will be won by the candidate who has the better website or the higher click through rate on ads. But it's clear that the Internet is a powerful weapon, involving people who previously stood on neutral ground.
Consider, for example, the political parody site JibJab.com which drew 10.4 million unique visitors in one month. JibJab is an online video released in mid-July satirizing Kerry and Bush to the tune of "This Land is Your Land". In an effort to lampoon the presidential nominees, the site ultimately sent users to both JohnKerry.com and GeorgeWBush.com for more information about the candidates.
The momentum is undeniable. Like traditional activists, Online Political Citizens are passionate about the issues, policies, and candidates. Evidence includes the surging popularity of political discussion groups; the organization of local events through sites such as Meetup (best known for Howard Dean's grassroots campaign); and the reading and posting of comments on blogs. Blogs are web logs or journals that are regularly updated with new commentary and/or links about a particular topic.
It's worth noting that this year's political involvement by the OPCs is different than any other campaign. Online involvement is more focused on communication and the national campaign than on local politics, such as running for local office or serving on a local committee.
It also appears that online campaigns matter. The IPDI anticipates that people who have previously donated online will be likely to do it again. And those who are researching and discussing candidates on the Internet will be voting in November.
Maybe the American political process is being reinvigorated by the Internet. Or maybe, for the first time in history, candidates are strategically and tactically using the medium just right.
Laura D.L. Bracken is the owner of Design Spike, Inc., a Web design and development company.
Well, think again.
In this presidential election year, online politicking has become an alternative way to energize voters. And it seems to be working.
Already, thousands of potential voters are donating money and signing up as volunteers via the Web. Called Online Political Citizens by the Institute for Politics, Democracy & the Internet, a foundation administered by The George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, these OPCs are not cyber-geeks, but opinion leaders and voters who appear to have higher incomes and are significantly more likely to donate money to candidates.
According to IPDI, as early as December of last year, 46 percent of the OPCs had already made contributions to a candidate or political party compared to 10 percent of the general public, and of the 87 percent of the OPCs who receive political e-mail, 66 percent forwarded that e-mail to friends and colleagues.
This translates into a cyberspace battleground that uses 21st century tools such as Web ads, Web videos, Web games, and e-mail.
It's obvious that candidates are trying to exploit the interactive, instantaneous nature of the medium's political benefits. For example, if you type "John Kerry" into the search engine Google, the Republican National Committee has an ad for its kerryoniraq.com web site, while Democrat John Kerry has paid for ads that have run on the New York Times' and other web sites.
Certainly, no one really believes that the White House will be won by the candidate who has the better website or the higher click through rate on ads. But it's clear that the Internet is a powerful weapon, involving people who previously stood on neutral ground.
Consider, for example, the political parody site JibJab.com which drew 10.4 million unique visitors in one month. JibJab is an online video released in mid-July satirizing Kerry and Bush to the tune of "This Land is Your Land". In an effort to lampoon the presidential nominees, the site ultimately sent users to both JohnKerry.com and GeorgeWBush.com for more information about the candidates.
The momentum is undeniable. Like traditional activists, Online Political Citizens are passionate about the issues, policies, and candidates. Evidence includes the surging popularity of political discussion groups; the organization of local events through sites such as Meetup (best known for Howard Dean's grassroots campaign); and the reading and posting of comments on blogs. Blogs are web logs or journals that are regularly updated with new commentary and/or links about a particular topic.
It's worth noting that this year's political involvement by the OPCs is different than any other campaign. Online involvement is more focused on communication and the national campaign than on local politics, such as running for local office or serving on a local committee.
It also appears that online campaigns matter. The IPDI anticipates that people who have previously donated online will be likely to do it again. And those who are researching and discussing candidates on the Internet will be voting in November.
Maybe the American political process is being reinvigorated by the Internet. Or maybe, for the first time in history, candidates are strategically and tactically using the medium just right.
Laura D.L. Bracken is the owner of Design Spike, Inc., a Web design and development company.
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