Thought Paper: October 18

I have concluded that I am one of the few New Media guys that do not believe the new democratic Cyber-Utopia. I do not see evidence of the new engaged voter, the institutional transparency or free-flowing public discourse made possible by technological innovation. In New Media Campaigns and the Managed Citizen, Philip N. Howard explores the evolution of “hypermedia campaigns,” the people behind them, and the social and culture issues involving the campaigns and the technology they utilize. Howard’s treatment is a sober and shies away from the typical hyper-euphoria hype of current New Media studies. He may well share my unUtopian views.

Unlike many of the readings we have had, Howard looks at the impact of the actions of the decision makers—the campaign managers, strategists, and programmers. One decision is data mining—the collection of personal data from multiple sources, data originally collected of other purposes—and a practice considered by many to be outside privacy norms. The second decision is to use the mined data to narrowcast the campaigns message by tailoring the message the web site viewer will see when they are online. Without letting the viewer know of the tailored content, the practice could easily be considered deceptive and propagandizing.

Why should these practices surprise anyone? Advertising and public relations have been using this type of data for years, the Internet just makes it easier to gather and distribute (DataBank.com). In the past, candidates tailored the campaign’s message to each town or group they visited; each speech reflected the interests of a particular audience. Now the programmable nature of the Internet makes it easier for the campaigns to deliver customized and targeted information to the web site’s audience.

Other components of “hypermedia campaigns” are the development of software applications by the New Media providers. Though some of the examples Howard gives, like streaming video, eCommerce solutions and possibly even the data mining solutions, could as easily trace their origins to the porn industry. Again, this is not a new occurrence for media systems—Ben Franklin developed better ink for printing and early television and filmmakers developed better equipment and processes—so why should the new medium be different. Innovation is always a component of early media development. More instant feedback to the campaign is another component of politicking on the Internet; campaign managers enjoy the immediacy of the feedback to allow the candidate to alter the message as the campaign develops.

There is no denying the Internet makes many of the tasks needed for campaigning easier to accomplish and implement, it makes it easier voters to access candidate information and for voters to communicate their wishes and needs to the politicians. Like television, radio, films, and newspapers before it, the Internet—when used responsibly and effectively—is a great tool for disseminating information and engaging voters in the electoral process. Just do not expect it to create an upwelling of electoral pride, participation and wide spread democratic engagement.