The Pew Research Center has published the report Internet’s Broader Role in Campaign 2008
It is a good read for anyone interested in politics. Taking the information that it provides and extrapolating it out a few cycles tells us that campaigns and elections are going to be very different in the future.
Several months ago (prior to the strike by writers) I came to the conclusion that The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is one of the best sources of political news. Stewart is not only funny — he gets guests that seem to track with Tim Russert.
The evening news and a massive television buy alone is not what wins campaigns any more. It is a constantly changing environment that political professionals need to recognize.
Two things this report does not cover that are important.
First, while the internet may be a great way to reach younger voters. To be honest, most of the time I am not trying to reach younger voters. I would rather have the over 60 crowd any day of the week. They actually show up at the polls.
The other thing that it does not include is the relative costs of these communication mediums. Television is expensive but effective. Newspaper ads are also expensive but completely ineffective. A presence on the Internet does not mean it has to be expensive at all. This is why you see videos that get sent all around but never actually make it on television.
The Internet alone is not going to be what elects someone this election cycle. It will be a cycle when the majority of the people that read this blog today are over 60.