The 2008 Election Cycle has changed the way that elections will be run in the future. As I have alluded to, the effects of using the new literacies in campaign efforts are democratizing. There are five main aspects of this democratizing shift that I would like to point out, for they will dictate how future political aspirants run their campaigns and how their constituencies participate:
1. The use of the new literacies led to a shift in authority. The campaign relinquished some of their control by allowing the public to participate so freely. The people now have some control over the campaign, which puts the power back in the hands of the constituents. In the classical democratic theory, the people is where the power rests, and the shift to new technologies has restored the balance.
2. The new literacies augmented communication between the voter and the campaign, as well as between the voter and their friends. Because people are able to communicate with the campaign on the go, they all have the same opportunity to volunteer for the campaign events and to spread the message through their cell phones and social websites. They can also get the information on the issues that they need, allowing each person with access to the internet to make an informed decision to vote.
3. The new literacies provide an equality of participation to the public. Anyone can access the internet in a public library, so anyone with a credit card can donate to campaign, showing their support through monetary donations. People all have the same ability to download voter registration forms online, so the ability to vote was expanded. Anyone can look up campaign events, call their friends, and spread the message online, thus aiding the campaign in their free time, rather than on the time of a local campaign office. The new literacies makes it possible for people to contribute to the campaign in their own way and at times convenient to them, restoring the ability of every constituent to make a difference.
4. With the emphasis of the new media on the campaigns, candidates can also run their campaigns with less money. Money will continue to be an important factor in campaigns, but many of the new literacies are free to use. Obama didn't pay for his Facebook page, or to use YouTube. These media are lasting, as opposed to the fleeting television advertisements previously used by politicians, thus allowing more people to be exposed to the message. The inexpensive nature of the new literacies also equalizes the opportunity for any candidate to run an effective campaign.
5. Candidates now have to be more cognizant of their mistakes than ever. Image has become increasingly important in campaigns, and now any mistake can be uploaded to YouTube, ruining a candidate's chances at winning their desired office.
Although these effects are quintessentially important to any campaign that will be run in years to come, the new literacies have not eliminated the old media. As younger and digitally comfortable generations mature to voting age, the role of the internet will probably play a larger part in the reinforcement of messages, but it will never completely replace traditional media because it cannot reach the massive numbers of people that other traditional “push” mediums do. People have to actively seek, or “pull” the information they want. People like to have their views reinforced, so they will continue to go to liberal sites if they are liberal and conservative sites if they are conservative, ignoring other sources completely (Bimber and Davis). As an information source, it can be democratizing in the sense that undecided voters can research the candidates before making a decision, but it is unlikely that the internet will sway decided and partisan voters who are only exposed to the spin of the web-based media. The new media are here to stay, but the traditional media will not disappear in the foreseeable future.
The main appeal of the new media is that they provide the opportunity for a more informed and engaged electorate to emerge. If our future citizens are more engaged and energized about politics and political issues, American government will have a stronger base and broader support. The 2008 election cycle was not just important because it generated a lot of buzz for its use of technology. The 2008 cycle effectively revitalized American democracy in elections. The renewed democracy in the 2008 election cycle was the beginning of a political era that will continue to level the opportunities to participate in elections for both citizens and candidates in the years to come.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Other New Literacies Used
In addition to the new literacy tools I have already mentioned, Obama's Campaign used a few other new literacies, including texting and emailing. Although the campaign email is not a new development for the 2008 election cycle, the use of texting to update potential voters is.
Texting:
Obama's campaign made use of massive texts sent out to millions of people at a time to make major announcements and to remind people to vote. Perhaps the announcement that received the most coverage was Obama's pick for Vice President, which he sent out to his supporters on the texting lists at 3:00am on a Friday morning. This message was sent out to over 2.9 million people, which is the largest single text yet carried out. The campaign strategy was to reward loyal supporters by giving them the information before anyone else could receive it. However, "The value of the message goes far beyond the 26 words and 2.9 million recipients," the Nielsen release read. "Here, Obama branded himself as cutting edge, inflated the already enormous press attention paid to his VP pick and further established a list of supporters’ most coveted form of contact: their cellphone numbers." This shift was an important one, and utilized a very direct way to contact supporters and reinforce their vote. It also reminded voters to show up on election day, mobilizing people to vote early and on the regular election day.
Emailing:
Obama's campaign also made use of emailing. This was not a new development for campaigns, as they had used email routinely for a few elections now. However, the emails were still significant, because they included links to donate money and to go to Barack Obama's website and find out more information on the campaign. These emails were reminders that the campaign was in session, and were a cost efficient way for the campaign to communicate with the voters to reinforce their support for Obama.
Texting:
Obama's campaign made use of massive texts sent out to millions of people at a time to make major announcements and to remind people to vote. Perhaps the announcement that received the most coverage was Obama's pick for Vice President, which he sent out to his supporters on the texting lists at 3:00am on a Friday morning. This message was sent out to over 2.9 million people, which is the largest single text yet carried out. The campaign strategy was to reward loyal supporters by giving them the information before anyone else could receive it. However, "The value of the message goes far beyond the 26 words and 2.9 million recipients," the Nielsen release read. "Here, Obama branded himself as cutting edge, inflated the already enormous press attention paid to his VP pick and further established a list of supporters’ most coveted form of contact: their cellphone numbers." This shift was an important one, and utilized a very direct way to contact supporters and reinforce their vote. It also reminded voters to show up on election day, mobilizing people to vote early and on the regular election day.
Emailing:
Obama's campaign also made use of emailing. This was not a new development for campaigns, as they had used email routinely for a few elections now. However, the emails were still significant, because they included links to donate money and to go to Barack Obama's website and find out more information on the campaign. These emails were reminders that the campaign was in session, and were a cost efficient way for the campaign to communicate with the voters to reinforce their support for Obama.
YouTube
Obama had his own YouTube Channel during the 2008 elections, which he used to spread his message inexpensively rather than buying commerical airtime in every market.
One function of YouTube in Obama's campaign was to enable endorsements. For example, Orlando Bloom filmed a thirty second segment asking voters to support Obama, then posted it to Obama's channel where viewers could see it. This kind of endorsement uses popular figures from Hollywood to encourage fans to support Obama, just like their favorite celebrity does.
YouTube allows participation by enabling people, especially the younger and more technology-savvy generations, to spread their ideas effectively. They are able to create a viral message that can reach many more people than they could reach without technology. CNN and YouTube paired up to put on a debate between candidates for the Democratic primary that allowed “amateur media-makers” across the country to post video questions to be asked to the candidates. In this pairing, CNN represented a traditional media that gave validity to the debates while YouTube was a symbol of grassroots participation. These debates brought together the new and the old to allow regular people to access the candidates and to ask them questions directly. Those videos selected reached not only the YouTube audience, but also the candidates and the viewers of the television debate (taken from Jenkins' Convergence Culture). The CNN/YouTube Debates were one example of the convergence of the new and the old, and the democratizing effect the pairing had on elections.
One criticism of the CNN/YouTube Debates was that they took too much liberty with selecting videos that featured a snowman asking questions. Although perhaps the humor is not strictly political, it is memorable. The Snowman meme left a lasting impression that embittered some and delighted others. Such a lighthearted approach to serious questions is one way in which the New Literacies have encouraged participation and captured the attention of the world.
YouTube also means that politicians have to be more cognizant than ever of their image and mistakes. As we saw with George Allen's Virginia Senatorial campaign, trackers are being hired by the other campaign to record candidates and post the videos online. George Allen made racist comments about one of the people in his audience who was filming the speech, which the person them posted online, ruining Allen's reputation.
Finally, YouTube enables participation from outside sources in the form of viral videos. The Obama Girl meme was one especially popular video during the campaign that was less than political, but still spread the message by supporting Obama. This new form of political support is adding humor into the mix, gaining attention for the campaign without bringing up any issues. This type of humorous, playful campaiging is not harmful, and just encourages people to get involved in the campaign, but needs to be balanced with substative debates to make sure we don't forget why we are really having elections.
Another important viral video was the "Yes We Can" video that set Obama's words to will.i.am's music. This video took a more serious turn, setting a serious and inspiring tone rather than a humorous one. It also used Obama's words directly and showed many people of all ethnicities coming together to support Obama. This video was viewed more than 19,000,000 times. These voter made videos helped shape the campaign and gained much prominience on the web.
One function of YouTube in Obama's campaign was to enable endorsements. For example, Orlando Bloom filmed a thirty second segment asking voters to support Obama, then posted it to Obama's channel where viewers could see it. This kind of endorsement uses popular figures from Hollywood to encourage fans to support Obama, just like their favorite celebrity does.
YouTube allows participation by enabling people, especially the younger and more technology-savvy generations, to spread their ideas effectively. They are able to create a viral message that can reach many more people than they could reach without technology. CNN and YouTube paired up to put on a debate between candidates for the Democratic primary that allowed “amateur media-makers” across the country to post video questions to be asked to the candidates. In this pairing, CNN represented a traditional media that gave validity to the debates while YouTube was a symbol of grassroots participation. These debates brought together the new and the old to allow regular people to access the candidates and to ask them questions directly. Those videos selected reached not only the YouTube audience, but also the candidates and the viewers of the television debate (taken from Jenkins' Convergence Culture). The CNN/YouTube Debates were one example of the convergence of the new and the old, and the democratizing effect the pairing had on elections.
One criticism of the CNN/YouTube Debates was that they took too much liberty with selecting videos that featured a snowman asking questions. Although perhaps the humor is not strictly political, it is memorable. The Snowman meme left a lasting impression that embittered some and delighted others. Such a lighthearted approach to serious questions is one way in which the New Literacies have encouraged participation and captured the attention of the world.
YouTube also means that politicians have to be more cognizant than ever of their image and mistakes. As we saw with George Allen's Virginia Senatorial campaign, trackers are being hired by the other campaign to record candidates and post the videos online. George Allen made racist comments about one of the people in his audience who was filming the speech, which the person them posted online, ruining Allen's reputation.
Finally, YouTube enables participation from outside sources in the form of viral videos. The Obama Girl meme was one especially popular video during the campaign that was less than political, but still spread the message by supporting Obama. This new form of political support is adding humor into the mix, gaining attention for the campaign without bringing up any issues. This type of humorous, playful campaiging is not harmful, and just encourages people to get involved in the campaign, but needs to be balanced with substative debates to make sure we don't forget why we are really having elections.
Another important viral video was the "Yes We Can" video that set Obama's words to will.i.am's music. This video took a more serious turn, setting a serious and inspiring tone rather than a humorous one. It also used Obama's words directly and showed many people of all ethnicities coming together to support Obama. This video was viewed more than 19,000,000 times. These voter made videos helped shape the campaign and gained much prominience on the web.
my.barackobama.com
Obama's website, My.BarackObama.com , effectively creates a community of Obama supporters through the use of several features that encourage participation and interaction among its members.
On the “dashboard,” or the individual home page of each mybarackobama.com account, there is an “activity tracker” that rates your participation in the campaign based on how many blog posts you’ve written, how many events you’ve attended, how much money you have donated, how many groups you have joined, how many people who have donated because of you, how many events you have hosted, how many calls you have made, and the number of doors you have knocked on. It encourages people to work harder for the campaign, to become a 10/10 supporter by doing each of these activities. By encouraging people to take the traditionally campaign coordinated activities into their own hands, the campaign passed off the control over their message and incited a grassroots movement that used energized supporters rather than coordinated volunteers. People could participate on their own time and in their own way. By placing the responsibility in the hands of the supporters, the campaign revived the public’s sense of efficacy. They literally made the difference in the campaign, which made them feel important.
On the website, each member is encouraged to create a profile, much like a blogger or a tweeter would. You post why you support Barack Obama, as well as your favorite quote and the issues that matter to you. You can also choose to link this profile to Facebook. When I made my account, my Facebook picture was automatically pulled to use as my profile picture on mybarackobama.com, which felt a bit like a security breach to me, but was so advanced on the part of the campaign that I let it go. This profile gives each supporter an online identity, making them feel like a part of the campaign community.
Each member has their own blog that they can add to with Obama-related blog posts. (For the sake of demonstration, I have doubled this blog on the myBO website). People post pictures, stories, and comments on the issues to share with other people, and can comment on stories that they like. This encourages each voter to share their campaign experiences with others and to motivate them to participate so that they can feel like an important member of the community.
The website also has a store that is updated frequently with stickers, cups, hats, and apparel that people can wear to spread the message. The campaign has created the logo that they now use on all of their merchandise, and is another way to spread the message online.
Obama’s website has a column on the right side of the page called Obama Everywhere, with links to his Facebook page, Twitter, Batanga, Glee, Flickr, YouTube, MySpace, Asian Ave, and several other networking sites. By using his campaign site to connect to several ancillary sites, Obama spread his campaign into every corner of the web. He reached out to every social community on the web, including the Hispanic, Asian, gay and lesbian communities, as well as the mainstream ones like Facebook and MySpace.
The entire MyBO site can be linked to an individual user's Facebook, allowing important campaign announcements and updates on each individual’s activity within the website to appear on the member’s wall and newsfeed. So, for example, when I posted to the blog on Obama's website, a post appeared on my Facebook page and my friend's home pages notifying them that I had made "x" post on MyBarackObama.com. The interconnectivity of these sites allows the user to spread the word via the campaign on the sites they already network and that their friends already read.
During the campaign, the website effectively facilitated conversation and action, as well as spreading of the message through merchandise and fundraising. This site contributed to Obama’s success by capitalizing on the new literacies and emphasizing the grassroots movement that the internet inherently encourages. In the end, it was the emphasis of the new that allowed Obama to gather up such a broad base of supporters and come out victorious. His campaign will be the new paradigm in the elections to come.
iPhone Application
One way in which Obama's campaign was able to take advantage of the new literacies was by creating the iPhone application about 30 days before elections took place. Obama’s iPhone application is one exceptional example of the campaign benefits and the democratizing elements of improvements in phone technology.
The electorate is extremely mobilized because of the Smartphone improvements that have taken place in the past few years, especially with the emergence of the iPhone. The Obama Campaign took advantage of the platform provided by the iPhone innovations by creating an iPhone application that allowed people to call their friends from their personal contact lists to spread the word about Obama, to learn about events in real time and on the go, and to sign up to get involved at local campaign centers all from their own phones. Obama put the work of his campaign in the hands of anyone willing to volunteer to take on responsibility.
This application allows citizens to help the campaign on their own time and encourages them to take on official responsibilities in local campaign offices by utilizing the GPS function to locate event near the phone owner. This encourages supporters to stay involved in any area of the United States by compiling all of the events that they could participate in geographically.
The most important feature of the application is that it reorganizes the owner's contact book by geographic location so that the user can call their friends in key states to remind them to vote or to talk to them about Obama. The application tracks how many calls were made, both to keep for their own campaigning use and to encourage the user to make many calls. It also allows the caller to enter the response of their friend, with the options being, “Not Interested,” “Considering Obama” and “Already Voted.” The reasoning behind this new use of the iPhone platform is that, “A contact has a lot more value when it is from someone you know than when it is from some random person.” Chris Hughes, Obama's director of online organizing, took advantage of this strategy by using the iPhone as a resource to help friends convince each other to vote for Obama in 2008.
Obama used the internet via the iPhone to stimulate grassroots level activities to keep the campaign moving. In the future, this type of campaigning will be more prevalent because more people will have access to iPhone-level technology. Using new media such as the iPhone has restored a sense of political efficacy in the electorate because people can now make a difference by themselves. They can see how many calls they have made, how many events they have participated in, and can access information about even more ways to get involved via their personal mobile devices.
The electorate is extremely mobilized because of the Smartphone improvements that have taken place in the past few years, especially with the emergence of the iPhone. The Obama Campaign took advantage of the platform provided by the iPhone innovations by creating an iPhone application that allowed people to call their friends from their personal contact lists to spread the word about Obama, to learn about events in real time and on the go, and to sign up to get involved at local campaign centers all from their own phones. Obama put the work of his campaign in the hands of anyone willing to volunteer to take on responsibility.
This application allows citizens to help the campaign on their own time and encourages them to take on official responsibilities in local campaign offices by utilizing the GPS function to locate event near the phone owner. This encourages supporters to stay involved in any area of the United States by compiling all of the events that they could participate in geographically.
The most important feature of the application is that it reorganizes the owner's contact book by geographic location so that the user can call their friends in key states to remind them to vote or to talk to them about Obama. The application tracks how many calls were made, both to keep for their own campaigning use and to encourage the user to make many calls. It also allows the caller to enter the response of their friend, with the options being, “Not Interested,” “Considering Obama” and “Already Voted.” The reasoning behind this new use of the iPhone platform is that, “A contact has a lot more value when it is from someone you know than when it is from some random person.” Chris Hughes, Obama's director of online organizing, took advantage of this strategy by using the iPhone as a resource to help friends convince each other to vote for Obama in 2008.
The iPhone also allowed voters to get information on Obama's stances on the issues, which led to a more informed public- or at least a public that had the most handy access to the information. With supporters able to reach this information anywhere at anytime, voter preference was reinforced and solidified. The phone solidified and then mobilized supporters, encouraging them to become more active in the campaign itself rather than just voting.
The Shift Over Time
The shift to this new era of digital campaigns took place over time. At the beginning of internet campaigning in 1996, the internet was used the same ways that other media were used. Foot and Schneider refer to this usage of the internet as “brochureware.” Candidates simply posted the same information in a non-interactive electronic format, essentially creating a second copy of what they already circulated. Foot explains why campaigns were reluctant to tap into the resources that the internet offered: “Web production decisions made by a campaign reflect the inherent tensions between a desire to maintain control over messages and resources and the generally decentralizing dynamic of Web-based communication. On one hand, campaigns want to inform as many prospective voters as possible; on the other hand, they want to control the information that is disseminated about the candidate." Campaign strategists were too frightened to rely on the new media to carry their campaigns to fully utilize the assets offered online, so instead they used the internet to do what they had already been doing.
Over time, candidates began using the internet more creatively, using it as an additional resource for their campaign rather than an iteration of the same materials. However, in 2004 and especially 2008, it became necessary to utilize the new media to avoid appearing old fashioned or out of touch with the electorate. Fully 68 percent of people 18 years and older went online to get their news in 2005, according to a poll by the Pew Center. For those younger than 18, the figure rose to 81 percent (Wayne 203). Without using the internet, candidates could never fully capture the attention of the digital generation. In an effort to reach more voters, candidates began providing electronic features that allowed users to participate in their campaigns in various ways.
For the first time, in 2008, new media truly affected the election process. Now, more people have access to the internet, and it is more important to citizens than ever before to be able to get information on the go. Though the seeds were first planted in 1996, 2008 saw the emergence of a strong digital momentum provided by the new media’s growing impact on American culture. In the 2008 election cycle and beyond, the new media played and will continue to play an important role in elections.
My Preliminary Thesis
Essentially, my thesis is that the use of the new literacies had a democratizing effect that benefitted Obama by reinforcing the liberal viewpoint and revitalizing the American public’s sense of efficacy. The expanded opportunities to participate in the election generated buzz and genuine excitement among supporters that mobilized them in an entirely different manner than traditional media had energized supporters in the past.
Throughout this blog, I will analyze the background of this shift, then look at different features that Obama used in his campaign, such as his iPhone application, his websites, and his many social networking pages.
The Purpose of this Blog
I think that it is important to explicitly post my intended use of this blog. Essentially the question that I am trying to answer is,“How did Obama’s use of ‘new’ technologies shape his campaign, and where will this lead in the next few elections?” This question is an important one.
The 2008 election cycle was one unprecedented in its use of new technology as a campaign tool. To be competitive in 2008, candidates had to reach out to their potential voters online. Many voters spend their free time online reading the news, perusing blogs, watching YouTube videos, and Facebook chatting with their friends. As a result, campaigns utilized those same aspects of the internet to extend their messages to places where their constituencies already spent time. Every candidate at the presidential level had a website. Some fundraised online, had blogs, sent out emails, and even used iPhones to mobilize their campaigns. Although the so-called “old” media were still thriving as always, the presence of the “new” made itself known in the lives of the candidates and the voters.
The way in which campaigns are now shaped around technology has democratized the culture surrounding politics. Internet technology is expanding democracy by increasing participation, enabling more grassroots level action, and allowing campaigns to reach voters and reinforce their preferences while also making it possible for candidates to run their campaigns more cost effectively.
The 2008 election cycle was one unprecedented in its use of new technology as a campaign tool. To be competitive in 2008, candidates had to reach out to their potential voters online. Many voters spend their free time online reading the news, perusing blogs, watching YouTube videos, and Facebook chatting with their friends. As a result, campaigns utilized those same aspects of the internet to extend their messages to places where their constituencies already spent time. Every candidate at the presidential level had a website. Some fundraised online, had blogs, sent out emails, and even used iPhones to mobilize their campaigns. Although the so-called “old” media were still thriving as always, the presence of the “new” made itself known in the lives of the candidates and the voters.
The way in which campaigns are now shaped around technology has democratized the culture surrounding politics. Internet technology is expanding democracy by increasing participation, enabling more grassroots level action, and allowing campaigns to reach voters and reinforce their preferences while also making it possible for candidates to run their campaigns more cost effectively.
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