Web sites such as YouTube and Facebook have an increased importance in how young voters make up their mind about the presidential candidates, said an author who spoke Tuesday at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Garrett Graff, author of "The First Campaign: Globalization, the Web, and the Race for the White House," spoke about the generation's turn to the Internet, particularly in the current presidential election. His talk was a part of the Page Turners Author Series, hosted by LBJ Center for Politics and Government.
Former Sen. John Edwards announced his candidacy through a text message, Sen. Barack Obama sent an e-mail with a link to a video expressing his interest in running for office, and Sen. Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy through a video post online. There is no doubt the Internet has transformed the presidential race, Graff said.
"There are four tools reshaping this election," Graff said. "Online videos, cellular phones, blogs and online social communities."
Voters are able to donate to the candidate of their choice with a click of a button, as opposed to the three-week fundraising mail-out process of the late 1980s, Graff said.
According to LBJ School of Public Affairs director Veronica Stidvent, Obama's technique of fundraising through many smaller donations increases participation.
"Where voters would otherwise feel distanced from politics, venues such as the Internet are allowing voters to connect on a personal level," Stidvent said.
To date, Obama has 373,720 Facebook supporters and has raised $58.9 million through small donations, according to Fundrace.org, a Web site that tracks donations to presidential candidates.
"In January alone, Obama raised $32 million," Graff said. "$28 million of that was solely from online donations."
Even with its remarkable capabilities, the Internet can still prove to be the downfall of a candidates' career, Graff said.
"I call this the 'Miranda Era,' because everything you say can and will be held against you," Graff said. "Bloggers are getting information online before the candidate has even finished giving a speech, regardless of content."
With such a low cost, it still remains to be seen if and when the Internet will become the "it" medium and take over television broadcasting.
"For now, the Internet is low cost," Graff said. "However, by the time it catches up, it'll be just as expensive as television broadcast."
Though one can claim that news providers like CNN, MSNBC and FOX are biased, some fear that the move toward Internet-based campaigning has the potential to polarize the electorate, Stidvent said.
"Broadcasting leads to niche marketing and smaller audiences," Stidvent said. "Rather than challenging them, it simply reaffirms their assumptions."
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