December 07, 2005

Welcome to the (Digital) Future of Campaigns

Hotline contributor Brian Reich contributes this post:

What exactly is the role of the internet in American politics?

The 2004 cycle helped pull back the curtain on the potential for the web, and other technologies on campaigns -- with Governor Dean's blogging revolution, John Kerry's online fundraising success, and the Bush campaign's sophisticated online headquarters to cite the most obvious. But today a new study helps us to understand how the voters view the web in the context of politics.

The USC Center for the Digital Future released its Fifth Study of the Internet last night (report highlights are online at www.digitalcenter.org/2005). The focus of this year's report is "Major New Trends in Online Use for Political Campaigns."

The LA Daily News summarized it this way: "The Internet has become an increasingly valuable tool in political campaigns, with a growing number of users saying the technology is empowering their political decisions." They cited stats that show nearly 40 percent of Internet users said they feel that going online gives them more political clout -- up from 27 percent the year before, and 61.7 percent of respondents who said they agree that going online has become important for political campaigns.

The Daily Times of Pakistan quoted Jeffrey Cole, the director of the Center for Digital Future, as saying "The Internet will forever change the course and nature of American politics... The Internet is no longer a marginal force in American politics -- it is quickly becoming the central force in empowering voters."

The political operatives who wage their campaigns online still have a lot to do to meet the standards and expectations set out by the audience. But this study offers some new, valuable insight.

Posted at 02:54 PM

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