IMC Hawks Blog

Today’s Politics in the Internet Age.

Written by

imcclass

in

With the Republican Primaries and Caucuses well underway, the candidates are narrowed down to the four main contestants. Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul are campaigning across the nation and participating in debates to convince voters that they are what the nation needs in a candidate. How do the general public learn information about the candidates though, if they aren’t campaigning in their state? The answer is found on the candidates’ websites.

Mitt Romney uses his website to thank the voters in the states in which he was victorious.

Each candidate has their own website, run by their political team and volunteers that keep their information (like interviews, media, photographs and messages) up to date. On these sites are direct links to the candidate’s social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, and their Youtube channels to watch ads that have been produced.

Rick Santorum's website has his beliefs and campaign strategy on the main page.

Something you will notice on each candidate’s page are donation links, most notable on candidate Ron Paul’s page who needs the money to continue his campaign. For those who want to support their favorite candidates, there is no better way than to go online and donate to their campaign using links found on each site.

Newt Gingrich uses his homepage to let supporters know where he will be next and how to contact him.

These websites are also excellent outlets to connect to mass groups of people at once, without having to pay to run advertisements or receive television or print media coverage.  For candidates who don’t receive as much media coverage as they feel they deserve, this can be a vital part of their campaign. Since so much information is traded on the internet now, much of the general population is turning to the internet to learn more about the potential leaders of the United States.

Ron Paul's main page takes you directly to his donation totals to try to get more support for his campaign.

–Joshua Vester, Molly Jacques, Ashley Oliver, and Hunter Wilson.

Comments

4 responses to “Today’s Politics in the Internet Age.”

  1. Joy Ellis Avatar
    Joy Ellis

    I think your post definitely proves how frequently people visit the internet and use it as a source of information. It seems like without the internet and social media, many people would be unaware of what is going on in the world. We need to be informed about what is going on, especially in an election year. It’s a smart move for the candidates to have websites because people like having that information and being able to access it whenever they want.

    Reply
  2. Karlyn Foster Avatar
    Karlyn Foster

    In the past few years, marketing, advertising, selling and much more has made its way to the Internet. Many people who want to get their name out or get a certain brand out in the public go to the Internet as their main source of publicity. I think that it is really smart for these political candidates to have their own websites. Before I vote, I want to know about each person and what they stand for and the Internet is the best way for me to find information. The internet seems to be the fastest, easiest, and smartest way to advertise. Plus it is great for donations, people like simplicity. It will be interesting to see how well the online coverage will work for these candidates.

    Reply
  3. Karen May Avatar
    Karen May

    As everyone knows, unless you live under a rock, social media is a staple of marketing, fundraising, advertising, etc. Just think about how much the internet influences our lives and how much more we know just by surfing the web. I don’t have much time to watch TV, so the internet allows me to get news quick and easy, and to see what the current events are in the US and all over the world. Candidates who provide websites, Twitters, and Facebooks allow others into their political world, and allow their followers to contribute to their possible success as well. Using social media also allows followers to connect with each other and to gain insight and opinions from other people. Because I don’t watch TV and all the debates (until the Republican and Democrat nominees are chosen), the internet gives me multiple sources to find out about the candidates and their websites and social networking sites are very effective.

    Reply
  4. Caroline Merrill Avatar
    Caroline Merrill

    This blog entry is just reinforcing what everyone keeps saying.. how internet drives everything now. People do not turn on the 5 o’clock news to see what is going on in the world anymore. Instead they turn to social media or go straight to the sources site. I think politics will become more digital as the years continue on which is unfortunate because we all are losing our face to face skills and relying more up technology.

    Reply

Leave a reply to Joy Ellis Cancel reply

More posts