Blogs and the Election

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the heavy use of blogs in 2004 and the even larger use of blogs in the 2008 election. The paper explores how technology has permeated our election culture and how it has changed the face of the presidential elections. The paper also examines how candidates can use blogs effectively. The paper concludes that more people will continue to rely on political blogs for their news, information and choices about political candidates. The paper warns, however, that we have to learn when to give online sources credibility and when to steer clear of inflammatory and false Web sites.

From the Paper:

"Twenty years ago, on presidential election night, most Americans would gather in front of the television to watch election returns struggle in from across the nation. In 2000, for most Americans it was television news reports that first broke the news Florida had gone for Gore, and then, that it had not. All that changed by 2004, when Internet resources and technologies played a much larger role in the election and how people got election results."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cornfield, Michael. "Buzz, Blogs, And Beyond: The Internet and the National Discourse in the Fall of 2004." Pew Internet & American Life Project, 2005. 17 Oct. 2007.<http://www.nielsenbuzzmetrics.com/files/uploaded/whitepapers/BMwp_BZMPew_BlogsBuzzBynd.pdf>
• Froomkin, A. Michael. "Chapter 1 Technologies for Democracy." Democracy Online: The Prospects for Political Renewal through the Internet. Ed. Peter M. Shane. New York: Routledge, 2004. 3-20.
• Miller, Nora. "Anti-Spin: Using Internet Resources to Unwind Political Claims." ETC.: A Review of General Semantics 62.1 (2005): 76+.
• McPherson, Miller, and Smith-Lovin, Lynn. "Social Isolation in America: Changes in Core Discussion Networks over Two Decades." American Sociological Review. 2006. 17 Oct. 2007.<http://www.asanet.org/galleries/default-file/June06ASRFeature.pdf>
• Smolkin, Rachel. "Lesson Learned: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Election Night Coverage." American Journalism Review Dec. 2004: 44+.

More papers on Blogs and the Election:

• Cause and Effect Essay # 111898 : "Communication Technologies and the Election"
• Term Paper # 122325 : "Blogs in the 2006 Election"
• Analytical Essay # 149798 : "Obama's Election and the New Media"

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