What is the impact of New Media in this election? I’m going to define New Media in the broadest of ways — blogs, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, listservs, text messaging, wikipedia. I’ll say BIG.
1. YouTube amplified satire and interviews from TV. If you missed
the 6:30 news, you could watch Couric’s interview of Palin on YouTube.
You could see Tina Fey’s dead-on impersonation of Palin. "And I can see
Russia from my house!" Every single one of my students saw the Tina Fey
routine. The YouTube videos were then amplified via Facebook and the
blogs.
2. 23% of Texans believe that Obama is a Muslim. Where are they
getting that information? That’s not coming from McCain or the Fox
news. It’s coming from wingding websites, which are then being
forwarded and forwarded via e-mail.
3. Young people aren’t reading blogs. They aren’t watching the
mainstream newspapers. They are on Facebook and watching the Daily
Show. Via facebook, they are donating their status to Obama, spreading
links to relevant sources, and signing up for updates via the major
campaigns. If you aren’t political, chances are that someone in your
network is. The political person will subscribe to causes or link to
articles. Whether you like it or not, you’ll see that political
information in your "news feed".
4. Obama’s texting messaging is apparent very effective. More so that robocalls, since the text messages feel very personal.
5. Both campaigns heavily used e-mail to publicize positions and talking points.
So, this election has been fed by wingding websites, Tina Fey on Hulu.com, facebook status updates, and text messages.
Apt. 11d 