e-campaigning

In 2012, candidates have an advantage in campaigning that they did not utilize before the 1990's. That advantage is e-campaigning on the internet. Politicians can use YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, blogging sights, websites, and even internet commercials to get their campaign to the millions of people on the internet. Even though e-campaigning has many advantages, there are plenty of challenges to face too.

Independent videos can be either a challenge or advantage depending on how the video is viewed. If the video is informational or has a positive view for the politician or party it could be a great way to link to numerous people. Sharing videos like this would be fast and would reach out to more people. I think these videos are a great way to spread positive information because people much rather watch a video on the YouTube than read an article on a informative website. Unfortunately, if the video is negative or a joke about the candidate, it still can spread really fast and to a large population. Even though it is terrible to tear down a politician this way, I think it is pretty smart. Using videos does spread to many individuals and some can be influenced how they feel about a politicians pretty easily, so even though it may cause damage it is, to me, a genius way to ruin a campaign. Independent videos are created by everyday citizens, so they're not monitored by campaign managers or whoever else. These videos are mostly put out onto sights like YouTube to express opinions which means that could be a huge challenge for candidates. Videos like "Crush on Obama" and "Mitt Romney Style" are examples of independents and how they play into the characteristics and criticisms of the candidates.

Also, "Gotcha" videos are a challenge for candidates when it comes to e-campaigning. These videos can cause big damage to a candidate's campaign. It shows a person, usually a politician, caught off guard or saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. I do not think it is ethical to post these and attempt to damage a politician reputation but these candidates should be aware of what they are saying at all times. Clearly, they are going to be in the public eye, especially presidential candidates, and for them to slip up and say something that may seem shady or contradictory to their precious statements is entirely their own fault. The most recent example is Romney's 47% speech and has given him an extremely hard time attempting to gain more independents' votes. Gotcha videos can have everlasting damage to a campaign. They tend to stick around or possibly show a person's "true colors".

Social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, also play both sides of the e-campaigning spectrum. Facebook pages and Twitter accounts are a great way to get the views of candidates out there. They help by socializing with more people, announcing events, and giving the politician a more personal/friendly image. The problem with social networks being a part of e-campaigning is that there can be parody accounts or hate pages. On Facebook there is an "Impeach Obama" page that has over 35 thousand likes. Pages like this give the President a bad reputation. Politicians have to work harder to prove these pages wrong and overpower the ideas represented.To me, parodies can be humorous and I get as much entertainment from them as any one else. Politicians should be smart enough to work around them or prove them wrong.