further...

To elaborate further on the points made in the previous blog, I thought I should highlight the fact that on top of a significant increase in the use of YouTube by political candidates, this forum has also enabled voters to get active and voice their political opinions.

There are many online sites dedicated to political and social commentary, mostly in the form of spoof videos. I believe that while candidate-sponsored videos provide great insight into the strategies and positioning of politicians, these spoof videos provide insight into the minds of politically active voters, and how they utilize this technology. It is interesting to note the different strategies employed by voters to get their message out to others on the internet.

Sites such as JibJab feature comic skits of President George W Bush, other previous presidential candidates, as well as spoofs of campaign slogans and debates.

While this communication is not commissioned by the presidential candidate, it can have significant impact on the views and opinions of certain demographics such as youth who find ‘traditional’ communication techniques dry and boring (Gibson and Ward 2002).

My favourite video is one of the ‘Classics’ from JibJab outlining the Bush v Kerry campaign of 2004.




Gibson, R. K. and S. Ward. 2002. Virtual Campaigning: Australian Parties and the Impact of the Internet. Australian Journal of Political Science 37 (1): 99-129. http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp02.library.qut.edu.au/ehost/pdf?vid=2&hid=105&sid=7fb71dd8-b37b-484b-bfa2-b7a18826f587%40sessionmgr109 (accessed April 24, 2008).