Politics and the Internet Gone Global - how the world’s countries use the web for politics

President Obama was in Asia this week speaking about a number of issues. The administration had meetings with China’s political leaders about environmental practices, but the Mr. Obama also held a town hall meeting where he spoke about the country’s internet activity.

The country’s government imposes what is known as the “Great Firewall of China” that was put in place to censor certain websites. Obama did not outright mention his disapproval of the government’s oversight, but he did say he “is a big believer in openness.”

The President claims he enjoys hearing the opinion and critiques of other. Mr. Obama said: “it makes me a better leader, because it forces me to hear opinions I do not want to hear.”

Many countries have made headlines with political action that went viral. This summer the Iranian Presidential election lead to civilian protests. When the government stepped in and stopped the media from filming the dissent, Iran’s citizens took to the web.

Twitter was flooded with updates from the region and became a legitimate source of news. Since other forms of media communication were restricted, tweeting was featured on CNN and BBC.

This event clinched Twitter’s position in politics, at least for the near future. As the popularity of social networks grows, citizen political activity may begin to pop-up more often on the Internet.

Sources:
“Twitter to Iran: Thanks for Nothing” by Lucas Conley
“Barack Obama criticizes censorship in meeting with Chinese students” by Malcolm Moore

Politicians and Reporters - Shared communication strategies

Today, the most popular news stories are not related directly to policy and lawmaking. However, politicians are learning how to make their voters care about policy.

Communication strategies used by reporters may help politicians speak to voters. Measuring the interests of the public is vital to any politician, just as it is vital to any news reporter.

A reporter with News 12 Long Island, Elizabeth Hashagen, described four subjects her viewers care about most. She said that when reporting she relates her stories to her viewer’s “time, health, family, and money.”

In order to attract an audience, reporters must focus on these topics. Time, health, family, and money are areas that also translate to local and federal politics.

Now, politicians are beginning to take note of these four subjects. Modern lawmakers see that their voters care about these four things too.

Voters care about rising taxes (their money). They also think moving violations and speeding laws are important because traffic accidents cause extensive delays in their commute (their time). Most constituents are also concerned with their school system and the education process in their area because it affects their children (their family).

More recently, the health care debate in Congress has been in the news because it concerns people’s well being as well as their money.

Reporters and politicians are figuring out what to talk about in order to get people to care. For years, anchors on the evening news have grasped this concept, just as the most popular politicians. They all figured out what to talk about and how.

While speaking with Hashagen, she recommended reporters speak to their viewers with inclusive terms like “us, we, you.” The same vocabulary and speaking style can evoke emotion voters as well as viewers.

A more conversational communication style has been adopted by news reporters and has begun to permeate the political landscape.

After the election - A new communication strategy

This week local elections were held all across the country. Now, the candidates who were successful in their campaigning are looking to change the way they use the internet.

I spoke with a member of Senator Mark Udall’s Communications staff about the pre-election and post-election messaging strategy.

During the campaign Udall’s team utilized his website and other internet sites to inform the public.

Since it was Udall’s first time running for a Senate seat, his staff focused on telling voters about the candidate and his policy ideas.

The campaign even employed a student from Colorado University to work significantly with Facebook and youth outreach.

Now, after winning the Senate seat Udall’s use of social media has changed.

A member of the Senator’s communication team says internet activity had expanded and Udall now has a Twitter and a YouTube channel.

The different mediums have expanded the way Udall’s political communication works.

Before winning elections, Udall and many politicians intended to use the internet as a one-way communication outlet. It can describe a candidate, but does not really seek ideas from voters.

Now, social media activity has become a “win-win,” the staff member says. The communication department “uses it to hear from constituents, but he can also connect with other policy leaders.”

More and more, politicians seem to be relying on internet activity as a form of communication. A shift like this is natural and may have a positive effect on voter/representative relations.