New Media and Politics
Continuing the discussion commenced in last month’s article, which examined the role of the Internet in this year’s presidential election, it will be useful to take a look at some of the research and projections out there regarding the Internet’s influence on the race to the White House. This month’s discussion will consider the results of a survey conducted several months ago by the Pew Research Center. A quick scan of their results confirms the notion that the Internet is indeed a medium of enormous political potential. In a report entitled, “Cable and Internet Loom Large in Fragmented Political News Universe: Perceptions of Partisan Bias Seen as Growing, Especially by Democrats,” the Pew Research Center made several significant findings, all of which support the Internet’s function as an increasingly dominant means of communication. Continue reading “New Media and Politics” »
The Internet and the Presidential Election
The Internet provides the government, media, and various other groups with a convenient medium by which to communicate and ultimately influence people. The expediency of the Internet facilitates the prompt composition and delivery of an email instead of performing the more arduous and expensive task of letter writing. The Internet has even demonstrated its usefulness in financial transactions – one may send money over the Internet with far less difficulty than attending a fundraiser or answering a direct mail pledge. The Internet savvy campaign team of former presidential candidate Howard Dean confirmed this long before his downfall. In so far as undecided voters are concerned, the Internet serves as a major resource of information for those who are surfing the Web to do research on candidates, seeing as voting records and other pertinent data are just a few keystrokes away. Continue reading “The Internet and the Presidential Election” »
Saving Face on the Internet
Now that the Memorial Day weekend is behind us, the election year mudslinging will undoubtedly begin to ramp up. For me, this is always an amusing and disheartening phenomenon of political life in the United States – judging the worthiness of an individual based on either juicy speculation or on the defamation of the rival’s character. This style of politics leads nicely into a discussion of the issue of legal liability, defamation, and the nature of modern news collection and distribution on the Internet. With more and more people turning to the online versions of established newspapers and to news clipping services like Google News, the issue of journalistic ethics and news accuracy becomes crucial for the successful transition towards a paperless society. How society deals with defamation and legal liability regarding the accuracy of the online news is not a trifle subject. Indeed, it is a first step towards reversing the clichéd “don’t trust anything you read on the Internet” caveat that can no longer remain the acceptable standard. Too many important decisions are being made solely on the basis of online media to allow this standard to remain in place. Continue reading “Saving Face on the Internet” »
Ten Rich Media Ad Formats That Are Powering Online Advertising
The interactive advertising industry is being driven by a number of rich media formats and technologies that promise to break through the clutter and garner the audience’s attention. These ad formats and technologies enable advertisers to enhance the user’s experience (and thus their brand) through interactivity, streaming video, animation, and sound. This month, we briefly examine ten of the best of these rich media formats. Continue reading “Ten Rich Media Ad Formats That Are Powering Online Advertising” »
Forbes Gets Farked? ESPN States the Obvious!
Every single site on the Internet seems to be running an online poll these days. Read a story online and you will probably be asked to cast some sort of inane vote about the content of the story you just read. “Do you think Saddam Hussein sleeps in full military dress?” Continue reading “Forbes Gets Farked? ESPN States the Obvious!” »