The enormous impact of new media on the political campaign landscape over the last few years is undeniable. New media has transformed how elections are run, leading to incredible innovation and constant adaptation to this new and uncharted political environment. There are numerous and definitive advantages of using new media to enhance and advance political campaigns.
· Communication with larger audiences: With facebook, twitter, blogs, SMS, and cellphones, a candidate can reach a greater number of people at less cost and less effort than direct mail or knocking on doors.
New Media Statistics for US Politics
Number of Followers
· Targeting audiences: Filtering out an audience is much easier with new media tools as well. Depending on your region, using SMS messaging directly to cellphones may be a more effective way of reaching your actual constituency rather than using websites, online ads, or TV ads.
· Direct conversation: Candidates can respond directly to questions and commentary from their constituency or opponents via twitter, facebook, or on blog forums. Recent examples of this direct communication from political candidates has been well received by the public (i.e. Scott Brown).
· Transparency: New media is allowing for more transparency in voting and communication, with politics no longer hidden behind closed doors. Some candidates are starting to post all of their votes online on facebook or their own site in order to maintain credibility and accountability with their constituents.
· Immediate response: Because new media can be fast and easy to use, candidates can quickly respond to any new developments, whether it is tweeting a response to an adversary’s criticism or clarifying a misrepresentation in a news story. In this way, a political campaign can mitigate the effects of a potentially damaging incident.
· Support mobilization: Mobilizing support for a campaign is much easier through the use of new media tools. Supporters can sign up their email address to join a candidate’s mailing list through the website or with one click of the mouse, they can follow on twitter or facebook. Fundraising can be done quickly and easily via text message or online. These same tools also make it easier for supporters to share information with their own personal networks online.
· Organizing volunteers: Management of volunteers is also much less cumbersome with the use of new media tools. Communication via shared online documents, SMS, mass email, twitter or facebook allows for fast and easy communication and mobilization when volunteers are needed to man phones, canvass neighborhoods, or table outside of polling areas. In this way, political campaigns can still use direct door-to-door and word of mouth to complement their new media campaign.