Internet Vital to Political Campaigns, Study Finds

The Internet has become a driving force behind politics and political campaigns, according to a study released Wednesday by the Center for the Digital Future at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

The study found that large and growing percentages of Americans now view the Internet as vital in key aspects of politics — for conducting campaigns, generating political power and making elected officials more accountable, according to the center.

Nearly three-quarters of all respondents agreed that the Internet has become important for political campaigns, up from 71 percent in the previous study and a new high for the Digital Future studies that began in 1999.

“The Internet has become a vitally important tool for users seeking political information during campaigns,” said Jeffrey I. Cole, director of the Center for the Digital Future and creator of the World Internet Project.

“Fifty years ago, television surpassed newspapers as the primary communication medium for people seeking information for political campaigns,” he said.

“Now the Internet is assuming a much more prominent role in political communication — for learning more about candidates, for sharing political views, for mobilizing constituents, and especially for fundraising,” Cole said. “And we have found significant changes in the number of users who believe that the Internet can become a tool for political power and voter influence.”

Among the findings:

• 67 percent agreed or strongly agreed that going online can help people better understand politics, up from 63 percent in 2013;
• 42 percent agreed or strongly agreed that by using the Internet, people like them can have more political power, an increase from 37 percent in 2013;
• 42 percent of respondents believe that by using the Internet, public officials will care more about what people like them think, up from 32 percent in 2013; and
• 41 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the Internet gives people more say in what the government does, up from 32 percent in 2013.

“These trends are clearly demonstrated in recent political campaigns,” Cole said. “In 2008, the Republicans did not pay attention to social media, but Barack Obama used digital communication in his first presidential campaign as a primary tool in developing his power base. Now social media is integral to all campaign strategies — Democratic or Republican.”

The survey, conducted from October 2014 to January 2015, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent.

To view the full report and findings from previous studies, visit www.digitalcenter.org.

-- City News Service