How does the internet affect political knowledge and engagement, both in general and during campaigns?
Key terms and concepts:
The internet, for our purposes, will include social media sites and Youtube, email and blogging, and political and candidate websites. Political knowledge and engagement will involve analyzing voter turnout, comparing expression of political views and activism online versus offline, and analyzing other measurable indicators including traffic to political websites and candidates’ websites and social media pages. Our research will include a longitudinal analysis of political knowledge and engagement before the advent of the internet to the present day where internet is more prevalent in politics; this will allow us to examine effects across different age groups and the effects of online discourse versus political communication/participation in the real world.
Summary of findings:
First, all our research indicates that the internet’s use for political purposes (e.g. informing voters, voters seeking information on candidates, expressing views, etc.) is increasing. Cristian Vaccari (2006) argues that 2004 was when the internet “came of age” as a tool for campaigns; through candidate websites and emails, campaigns mobilized donations and offline-support from established supporters. However, research also indicated the internet may have been a factor in previous elections. For example, Park and Choi (2002) suggest candidates’ websites allow them to better target specific audiences and that younger age groups are more likely to engage and be influenced by a candidates’ online presence. Still, other bodies of research suggest that more mundane functions of the internet (i.e. email) influence voters and campaign supporters more than emerging phenomena such as social networking sites (Comby, Vedel, Jouët 2011). Furthermore, longitudinal analysis and other research have found that the internet has positively influenced political participation in all social categories, but older generations are more hesitant to engage politically online. And, while younger voters are more likely to engage in political discourse or activity online, further research suggests a prior interest in politics is an important moderating variable (Nielsen 2011). Contrary to many of our findings, Towner and Dulio’s (2011) research suggests that Youtube had little influence on young adults’ views of the candidates in the 2008 election, but rather it simply fueled cynicism toward the government; however, their research also found that young adults’ political efficacy increased through exposure to Youtube in the 2008 election.
Importance:
The internet is becoming a dominant medium for up-and-coming generations of voters, and a more important factor in voter turnout, informing the public on issues, and mobilizing campaign support. Understanding the internet’s effect on politics may help predict election outcomes, help/hinder campaigns’ success, and, as Tolbert & McNeal (2003) suggest, help gauge electoral turnout of those who use the internet for political reasons because traditional voter turnout models may not fit such new information technologies. Lastly, Wu (2008) found that younger generations are not simply participating in “fan democracy” online, but that their level of engagement and expression is deeper; thus, due to its importance, he recommends that further research be done to investigate the phenomena of online political communication through social networking sites.
