I’m sure everyone is as tired as I am of hearing about the upcoming presidential election. No matter where you go there are signs up for each candidate, newspapers are filled with articles about the race. Most irritating are the endless amount of commercials on TV and radio. Both candidates seem to be continuously attacking the other and their issues. However, as annoying as the presidential race has become the use of computer mediated technology within the race is very fascinating.
The use of technology in this race was made obliviously clear to everyone by Barack Obama, when he texted out his choice for vice-president. When Obama texted out Joe Biden’s name as his running mate he did something no one has ever done during a presidential race. Obama’s use of new technology does not stop there. He has implemented a mobile marketing plan for his campaign and using social networking websites to promote himself.
Nevertheless, Barack Obama is not the only one using text messaging in this election. Pro vote groups are getting their message across to people in the United States, mostly young adults, by text messaging them. Groups such as, US Student Public Interest Research Group, are texting people and reminding them to vote for the next president. In studies this group has done they found that these reminder text messages will increase the likelihood a person will vote by 4.2 percent. It does not seem like a large percentage right now but since these groups are sending out millions and millions of text messages they will have a large effect on an increase in voters.
My question now is, what effect overall will the use of new technology have on who actually wins the election? I am not only many election articles are now asking the same question and many others. Will Obama will because his campaign includes a mobile marketing plan? Who will capitalize on the increase in voters from pro vote groups implementing text messaging? Finally, I have to wondering if our country’s increase in computer mediated technology can actually decide a presidential election.
5 comments:
I think it's interesting that the candidates are using the new technology that they have access to but it scares me that business may become sloppy if too many resources are used. I would just hate for a specific medium to malfunction and that information be lost!
I also think it is very interesting to see which candidate is using technology to their advantage. I definitely think that Obama was able to generate more votes for himself because he did get his message out through many different forms of CMC. And I completely agree with your question about how the technology will be used. It never really made sense to me to broadcast who you are voting for, because if I do not know you, then why would I trust your opinion? But technology can change all that, because it has the option of being able to explain things to the public. Who knows where technology will lead voting in the next few years.
I think it was very creative of Barrack Obama to utilize CMC in this presidential election. The results will be especially evident with the younger crowd, because one of the best ways to get the attention of young people is to text them. I may not agree with him texting his vice presidential choice, but using it as marketing plan is very intelligent. Also, 4.2% of an effect, as you said, could be pivotal in this election because many are anticipating it to be a close election.
This was a great topic to blog about seeing as we are just hours from election day as I comment. It's interesting to wonder whether presidential use of technology is seen as modern or perhaps seen as unprofessional. As much as we are advancing in technology, its hard to imagaine that even an issue as important as the presidency is moving to an elctronics. I can't really decide if I think its a beneficial movement or a somewhat scary one to think our candidates are doing major business and advertising over texts rather than in a face to face manner.
I think it's so odd the differences between this election and the past elections. Everything from candidates on SNL to receiving text messages from political parties. CMC has come a long way even in the last four years but the fact that they predict that these text messages will make a certain percentage of people vote? That seems pretty strange.
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