How Has the Internet Changed Political Communication? Political Science Essay

The continued growth in the use of internet technology has led to a significant impact on political communication and political ratings of various candidates. Presently political parties, as well as political candidates, have been utilizing technology in various ways. The use of various communication channels provided by the internet has the ability to impact the development of different people in their respective spheres. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube among others have proved to be powerful communication avenues that easily raise the ratings of political parties and their politicians. Undoubtedly, the internet and its associated technologies is a major deciding factor in most political races.

One of the major ways that the internet has changed political communication is in the raising of funds used in campaigning. Raising funds for campaigning is a vital factor for any political candidate. One of the main challenges faced by political parties and candidates in raising campaign funds is the need to create a vertical response in a target region or the whole country. Through the use of the internet, political candidates are able to gain access to a wide area of a campaign region. By broadcasting through internet technological marketing, political parties and candidates and are able to get suitable donors that enable them to support various elements in the campaigns (Kokkad, 2016). Additionally, publicity on the internet is a cheap strategy in that, unlike print media, there is no need to republish. Political communications are simply placed on commonly accessed links.

The internet has also changed political communication in that most politicians are now making use of podcast to disseminate their messages to the public. By making use of podcast, politicians are able to reveal their journalistic side thus making sure that the information they provide is considered credible as the information is acquired firsthand from the politicians. Although the internet is accessed by everybody thus everyone can post a podcast, politicians have to establish verifiable connections with various achievements in order to preserve the integrity of the information they provide (Cary, 2010). Overall, the use of podcast has proved to be an effective means of gaining political publicity albeit it is a relatively costly strategy to employ. However, when appropriately utilized, podcasting is an exceedingly influential political tool that eventually and completely pays off.

The internet has also changed the speed of political communication. The speed of such activities as political campaigns has been increased by the internet in ways that previous technologies could not achieve. Live transmissions of political events or messages from television and radios depend on the target audience being present to receive the message. On the other hand, a political event streamed through the internet is just as live as television and radio transmissions, however, it is immediate and easily accessible and in perpetuity following the political event through the numerous free streaming services (Sharon, 2012). Furthermore, television and radio rely on journalists to vet the stories, forward them to editorial teams and report live on camera. However, on the internet, such gatekeeping is unnecessary as a person can hear a comment, record it and tweet it to thousands of followers seconds.

Ultimately, as the internet has spread in every region of the world, it is rapidly affecting and becoming an indispensable aspect of our daily lives. Political communication in this regard is exceedingly moving from traditional media technologies in favor of the more effective and less costly internet technologies. The internet has allowed political parties to reap such benefits as engaging people on a scale that had previously never been achieved and has enabled the conversion of numerous individuals into empowered and engaged donors, advocates and volunteers. Thus by taking a significant part of political communication online, political parties and candidates have realized a transformative effect that has allowed for a significant increase in effectiveness and conversion rates.

References

Cary, M. K. (2010, February 4). 5 Ways New Media Are Changing Politics. Retrieved January 17, 2018, from US News: https://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2010/02/04/5-ways-new-media-are-changing-politics

Kokkad, T. (2016, December 12). 10 Ways the Internet Changed Political Campaigning. Retrieved January 17, 2018, from CallHub: https://callhub.io/10-ways-internet-changed-political-campaigning/

Sharon, H. (2012). Impact of Technology on Politics. Retrieved January 17, 2018, from FeedForAll: http://www.feedforall.com/influence-of-technology.htm