Internet and Politics

In the last presidential elections in America, we see a very good example of how politicians are beginning to make use of the Internet for their political campaigns.

Barack Obama was particularly known for his effective use of the Internet to rally his supporters and make his policies known to the masses. President Obama's use of the Internet was mainly targeted at people aged between 18-29, which is also the group most reliant on new media for political information for the election. Obama's campaign managers were well aware that they also have to cater to the needs of these younger people in order to capture their attention in the campaign. Obama built support by connecting with his supporters and would-be supporters through the use of MySpace and Facebook. He developed trust from these supporters, which led them to rally their local communities.

In addition, the campaign was also extended to computer games, which also caters to the younger voters. Campaigns were incorporated into the games, where gamers can see certain information about Obama, including signs asking people to "Vote for Change".

Furthermore, Obama's policies were all being posted online for easy access. Updates were even being sent to subscribers of his political party by means of text messages and emails. We could see from interviews that Obama's campaign was strengthened by McCain's comparatively limited use of the Internet. Although McCain also did a lot of speaking during the campaigning, he did not capitalize on the benefits Internet could possibly bring and hence, lost the support of many young voters.

This is not only seen in America. According to reports, in the upcoming General Elections in Singapore, the People's Action Party is also making use of the Internet by posting activities which their upcoming candidates are involved in. This include texts, photos and even videos of events organized in the various housing estates. They have also extended their use by using Facebook instead of only their party's website. At the same time, other parties such as the Workers' Party and the Singapore Democratic Alliance are also using online sources to garner support. This also includes their policies and photos of what their members are doing to help the community. This will definitely reach out to more of the younger voters, who might be voting for the very first time to make informed choices when the elections come.