With the 2008 Presidential Elections coming up, it seems that this generation has started a revolutionary political movement. For the longest time, technology has changed the way we breathe, eat, sleep, and ultimately, even the way we think. So one of the major questions that has been boggling my mind is, how has the new internet phenomenon changed campaign fundraising and exposure in general?
For some historical reference, the beginning of online blogging and the use of internet as a major campaign tool is rather recent. In 2004, one of the pioneers in e-campaigning, Howard Dean, took a chance and invested in what would become one of the biggest ways of campaigning in the few years to follow. E-campaigning has taken an entire new level of fundraising. According to a Washington Post article by Jose Antonio Vargas, Joe Trippi, Dean’s campaign manager, “leveraged the Web to raise $7.6 million in the second quarter of 2003.” This seemed rather incredible since online campaigning had not yet developed. With an entire internet campaign team in hand, many claim Dean would not have succeeded as much as he did without the help and power of the internet and its supporters.
Now 2007, with the elections creeping up, the candidates seemed to have embraced and prioritized the web as one of their primary campaigning methods. So what exactly is it that the internet provides that has made such an impact on the way politicians campaign? After contemplating this issue, the answer seemed to boil down to one thing, proper exposure. With many newly developed websites such as Youtube working hand in hand with blogs and even traditional media sources such as Washington Post, candidates were getting more and more exposure in many different ways. It seems that the more they are exposed into the public’s eyes, the more people take interest in their own preferred candidates. With more and more Web users growing endlessly, millions of citizens seemed to also embrace the changes the internet brought. Soon enough, it is inevitable that the Web supporters began to donate more and more money in support of their favorite candidate.
So what are these technology developments that the internet has to offer that enables for this new movement?
First and foremost, one of the major players in candidate campaigning seems to be bloggers. Over the past few short years, the blogging community grew in what seems to be an impossible rate. With millions now in hands reach of their very own blog, the community created an entire new environment for the way candidates’ names were spread. Not only were ordinary people creating this new environment, but even the candidates themselves seemed to join in on this movement. With almost every 2008 candidate opening and managing their blog with a Web team, ordinary people were frequenting these blogs to get more and more information. Within these ordinary people were also many frequent bloggers who in support of their favorite candidates, wrote endlessly in their own personal blogs. It is no wonder how merely blogging has made such a great impact on campaign fundraising.
Secondly, there seems to be many new technological developments that have also accepted E-campaigning. For example, Youtube, one of modern technology’s biggest inventions, has prioritized the presidential elections as one of their major concerns. Youtube has dedicated an entire website which reveals many political video citizen journalists from all around the world. Along with Youtube, According to an article from Examiner.com, companies such as XM radio, a newly developed satellite radio company, has developed a station completely devoted to the 2008 Campaign converage. With hundreds of thousands to millions of users utilizing new tools such as Youtube and XM, the campaign seems to have successfully transferred to a digital era. With more and more people focusing on the new media age, it is inevitable how candidates have benefited majorly in fundraising.
All in all, the 2008 presidential elections have taken a much different path in exposure and fundraising. With many new digital developments along with the integrated Web, the change is much for the better. Candidates are able to connect with a much bigger horizon of followers. Equally importantly, finding information about the candidates have never been easier. At the click of a button, anybody with internet access is able to view their favorite candidates take on whatever issue. The internet has definitely proven itself to be beneficial to not only candidates but millions of internet users alike.
