The Impact of Internet on Politics free essay sample

Impact of Internet on Politics The use of internet in the 2004, and most recently in the 2008 elections was so huge due to its role. The internet has significantly changed the political process because it allowed candidates and voters to connect and gain access to political process in a fashion not previously available. Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and candidates own social networking sites, such as Senator Barack Obamas MyBarackObama. om and Senator John McCains McCainspace, were used during the 2008 presidential elections campaign to connect to the voters, raise funds, post campaign ads, organize meetings. This usage of the internet has enhanced the degree of participation of interested ordinary citizens and small interest groups in politics. It also gave the average citizen the opportunity to be engaged politically via airing opinion on platforms including YouTube, iTunes, and Facebook by uploading personal videos in support of or against a candidate. Based on the result of the research by Pew Internet American Life project on the role of internet in the 2008 elections, Some 74% of internet usersrepresenting 55% of the entire adult populationwent online in 2008 to get involved in the political process or to get news and information about the election. We will write a custom essay sample on The Impact of Internet on Politics or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † These statistics are an indication of internet influence on the political process because it allowed and made it easier for more people to participate in political activities. In recent years, blog sites have been the avenue for political discourse on the internet, they have reshaped the way politician, and the populace approached the political process. Candidates are now turning to the use of blog as evident during the 2008 presidential election, when all candidates maintained a blog site, for example, Senator Hillary Clintons blog. hillary. com, Senator Barack Obamas my. barackobama. com, and Senator John McCains www. johnmccain. com/blog. Candidates used it to update and inform the public and supporters of their views of current events and issues that are important to them, which enabled candidates to be more transparent and communicative. According to ABC news report, in the second quarter of 2003, Gov. Howard Dean raised $7. 6 million toward his 2004 presidential election campaign through the internet. This was a huge amount for a candidate that lacked a traditional fundraising network. Fundraising for the 2008 elections through the internet was more successful compared to previous elections. Jose Antonio Vargas of Washington post Obama Raised Half a Billion Online report states that Triple O, Obamas Online operation revealed that, 3 million donors made a total of 6. 5 million donations online adding up to $500 million. This online donation is more than 80 percent of the record-breaking $600 million raised during the entire campaign. The affordability and easy access of the internet compared to older technology enabled candidates to reach more people faster at nearly zero dollar and also allowed individuals to react quickly, directly, anytime, and anywhere. For example, Jose Antonio Vargass report also quotes data from OPOs Online Political Operatives below Obamas e-mail list contains upward of 13 million addressees. Over the course of the campaign, aides sent more than 7,000 messages, in total more than 1 billion e-mails landed in inbox. In future elections, candidates successes at the poll might be determined by their ability to successfully use the internet to reach out and connect to broader audience, as it contributed to President Barack Obama success at the 2008 election. Older technology such as radio and television are still relevant but the internet also played a major role in the recent political process because it enhanced the participation of all and sundry during the 2008 elections. Work cited http://abcnews. go. com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_July16. html http://www. pewinternet. org/Reports/2009/6The-Internets-Role-in-Campaign-2008. aspx Obama raised half a billion online can be found http://voices. washingtonpost. com/44/2008/11/20/0bama_raised-half_a_billion_on. htm