Politics and the Internet

One of the biggest successes in political campaigning on the internet would probably be President Obama's.

According to the New York Times (article on: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/how-obamas-internet-campaign-changed-politics/), Obama's campaign had served to change internet politics. For one, YouTube was his tool for free advertising: “The campaign’s official stuff they created for YouTube was watched for 14.5 million hours,” Mr. Trippi said. “To buy 14.5 million hours on broadcast TV is $47 million.”

It was also explained that the videos on YouTube were more convincing than those on TV because viewers on the web consciously made the decision to watch the video, often interrupting their other activities, such as watching TV.

Likewise, BBC News also noted the use of the internet as the key to Obama's victory.(article on: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7412045.stm) They highlighted his use of his own internet site as well as social platforms such as MySpace and Facebook. It especially allowed him to reach to younger voters and gathered him "follower" who publicly displayed their support for him through the online medium. The article even states that on Facebook, the social platform most used by college students, Obama has more followers than any other candidate.

This view is also supported by TIME magazine. In an article on Obama's Viral Marketing Campaign (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1640402,00.html) , it was noted that the campaign's success was due to its ability to reach into the social scene and gather the financial powers of small donors, who gave in monthly amounts as low as a mere $20. Yet, when it combined with the support of hundreds of thousands of other small donors, it created the funds of more than $10 million dollars.

It is highly likely that the role of the internet in political marketing will only get bigger. Especially since most of the youths in the population are all highly involved on online mediums, By harnessing the power of the internet, political candidates will not only be able to draw the support of the younger crowd by catching their interest online, they will also be able to monitor responses and view more effectively.

While young adults and youths (especially in the case of Singapore) have shown increasing signs of political apathy, I feel that the scene is likely to change. More and more, people are expressing their political views on social platforms like Facebook. Thought-provoking articles and videos are shared, views are exchanged and candidates discussed openly. It would be hard to continually remain ignorant, when the hype is on the increase in one's social circle.