Campaigning Online: The Internet in U.S. ElectionsAfter a self-assured John F. Kennedy bested a visibly shaky Richard Nixon in their famous 1960 debates, political television, it was said, would henceforth determine elections. Today, many claim the Internet will be the latest medium to revolutionize electoral politics. Candidates invest heavily in web and email campaigns to reach prospective voters, as well as to communicate with journalists, potential donors, and political activists. Do these efforts influence voters, expand democracy, increase the coverage of political issues, or mobilize a shrinking and apathetic electorate? Campaigning Online answers these questions by looking at how candidates present themselves online and how voters respond to their efforts-including whether voters learn from candidates' websites and whether voters' views are affected by what they see. Although the Internet will not lead to a revolution in democracy, it will, Bimber and Davis argue, have consequences: reinforcing messages, mobilizing activists, and strengthening partisans' views. Reporting on a wealth of new data drawn from national and state-wide surveys, laboratory experiments, interviews with campaign staff, and analysis of web sites themselves, Campaigning Online draws the most complete picture of the role of campaign websites in American elections to date. |
Contents
The Evolution of Candidate Communication | 13 |
Candidate Approaches to Election Web Sites | 43 |
The Audiences for Election Web Sites | 101 |
Consequences of Election Web Sites | 125 |
Reinforcement | 143 |
Other editions - View all
Campaigning Online: The Internet in U.S. Elections Bruce Allen Bimber,Richard Davis Limited preview - 2003 |
Common terms and phrases
Al Gore American Political Ashcroft Ben Green Bob Holden Buchanan Bush and Gore Bush campaign Bush's campaign sites campaign Web sites candidate sites candidate Web sites candidate's citizens communication compared democracy Democrats didates differences donations e-mail e-mail list effects election day electoral endorsements example featured figures fundraising Gore campaign Gore's Governor groups included interaction interest Internet Internet users interview issue positions Jean Carnahan Jim Talent John Ashcroft John McCain journalists learn about issues less major mass media Matt Blunt media coverage medium Mel Carnahan messages minor-party candidates Missouri national Web audience newspapers offered opponent paign partisan party Pat Buchanan percent political knowledge polls potential presidential campaign presidential candidate primary Project Vote Smart Ralph Nader reinforcement reported Republican role sample Source is authors state-level statewide strategy supporters television advertising tion traditional media U.S. Senate undecided voters visitors volunteer vote choice Webmaster York