How has the internet changed politics?

Tricky

Briefly immortal
Tricky
Joined
Nov 24, 2001
Messages
43,750
Location
The Group W Bench
With the discussion about John Kerry's medical records, I began to wonder how the face of politics has been changed by the internet. Although anonymous smear campaigns have been a part of politics for years, it seems that the ability to access this information and filter what you receive has made a profound change in what we hear about our politicians.

I know that I have a few newssites that I trust, and a few others that I regularly read because they align with my politics. From what I read here, some of our posters get their news exclusively from Drudge Report or World Weekly News.

This year, all TV and radio ads have the candidate agreeing to the content, but thats undercut by the way scurrilous rumors are dissimenated on biased newssites, forums and email.

As skeptics, we are probably less likely to fall for these tactics, but since so many people aren't, do you think that it is possible for us to sink even deeper into the slime because of the worldwide web? After all, it has been shown that smear tactics work better than most campaign messages.
 
Teh Net gives you more news options. For example I always check out the BBC news page.


And the net is a great place to toss out lies and bombs that the mainstream press wouldnt touch. Often times the rumors will end up being true and then main news jumps on it.
 
The net allows easy access to slime but then it also allows easy access to reliable news sources across the globe. The latter more than makes up for the first.
 
The internet has changed politics for me in the respect that I can now quickly access a vast hold-no-bars discussion on political matters. I can explore multiple news articles from different sources supporting different points of view as well. Furthermore, the internet allows forums like this one to attract people from around the world who have different kinds of information and opinions, that means we can get together and make sense of it all.
 
DanishDynamite said:
The net allows easy access to slime but then it also allows easy access to reliable news sources across the globe. The latter more than makes up for the first.
Click to expand...

I second that.
 
How has the Internet changed politics? I don’t think the Internet has been around long enough to have had a real effect on politics.

I dunno, my perception might be kind of skewed. The internet has always existed throughout the time I paid attention to politics. But as I see it, the same types of people are still in power and the issues haven't changed much. The political, social and legal status quo that existed in 1990 is pretty much the same today.
 
Tony said:
How has the Internet changed politics? I don’t think the Internet has been around long enough to have had a real effect on politics.
Click to expand...

As far as the mud-slinging goes, no, it hasn't changed things much.

But I bet Howard Dean has ideas on how the internet has changed politics in a different way.
 
At least when you get bored with all the political crap being reported and invented there's ......... porn

Charlie (art, I meant art!) Monoxide
 
Luke T. said:

But I bet Howard Dean has ideas on how the internet has changed politics in a different way.
Click to expand...

Can please explain what you mean by this. I suspect I know, but I don't want to put words in your mouth.
 
I can tell you that the internet has opened up an immense avenue for communications by third party and independent candidates that not even the Demopublicans can figure out how to shut off.
 
Luke T. said:
As far as the mud-slinging goes, no, it hasn't changed things much.
Click to expand...
Maybe not the substance, but definately the amount.

Luke T. said:
But I bet Howard Dean has ideas on how the internet has changed politics in a different way.
Click to expand...
A good example. Dean was darn nearly created by the internet. He was the first candidate whose major fundraising was done via the internet and his anti-Bush message played rather well with the downtrodden liberals. But it was also the internet that put out clips everywhere of his post-loss meltdown which, if not causing, at least hastened his departure from the race.
 
shanek said:
I can tell you that the internet has opened up an immense avenue for communications by third party and independent candidates that not even the Demopublicans can figure out how to shut off.
Click to expand...
Indeed. If only those communications were paletable, it could make a difference. ;)
 
Tricky:
A good example. Dean was darn nearly created by the internet. He was the first candidate whose major fundraising was done via the internet and his anti-Bush message played rather well with the downtrodden liberals. But it was also the internet that put out clips everywhere of his post-loss meltdown which, if not causing, at least hastened his departure from the race.
Click to expand...
Which makes your question unanswerable.

The Net makes access to information faster and easier. However, it also makes the access and production by "spinners" faster and easier.
 
DanishDynamite said:
If only those communications were paletable, it could make a difference. ;)
Click to expand...

They're palatable to anyone who isn't a fascist. :p
 
Tony said:


Can please explain what you mean by this. I suspect I know, but I don't want to put words in your mouth.
Click to expand...

Tricky and shanek just explained what I mean pretty well.
 
One of the best advantages of the internet is being able to immediately access source material. When important government documents become available, you can read the entire document for yourself (most recently the Iraqi prison report) without having to just listen to pundits give you their summary. It was, of course, possible to access these things before the internet but the immediacy makes it much more likely that more people will read these documents for themselves.

Realistically though, I think that most people eventually just gravitate to the sites that will tell them exactly what they want to hear according to their own polical leanings (just like they have done with radio and television). Speaking of which, this gives me an opportinity to plug my own favorite political blogs:

billmon at the whiskey bar
atrios
Juan Cole
Talking Points Memo
 
I think the Internet has changed politics immensely.

Not necessarily the political machinery per se.

For one, the Internet is an excellent way to get non-propagandized media.

The Internet makes it easier to get a hold of more reliable new sources (i.e. the BBC, and other centrist media).

Lastly, it has also changed the organization of politics.

Activism Politically has obviously changed just by the fact on how easy it has become to organize meet up dates.

That, and it is also easier to send money to your politicians for campaign reasons too.
 
Without reference to the particular partisan issues of the day, I would say that the internet has caused a revolutionary change in the nature of politics.

It is a medium of mass communication available to the middle class and most of the working class. No longer is information controlled by wealthy press (or media) lords of whatever stripe. Though these still have plenty of influence, they are waning.

It means that marginal groups also get a hearing, be they white supremacists, hollow earthers, suicide cultists, skeptics, atheists, or libertarians.

No I am not equating all these groups. The point is that the increased access has not resulted in an upsurge in white supremacy (evil), or hollow earth-ism (stupid).

It is more truly a marketplace of ideas than ever before.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom