iPolitics: Citizens, Elections, and Governing in the New Media Era

324 Pages·2011·1.512 MB·English

by  Richard L. Fox, Jennifer M. Ramos

iPolitics
Citizens,Elections,andGoverningintheNewMediaEra
iPoliticsprovidesacurrentanalysisofnewmedia’seffectsonpolitics,
both at home and abroad. Politicians rely on Twitter, Facebook, and
YouTube to exercise political power. Citizens also use these tools to
vent political frustrations, join political groups, and organize revolu-
tions.Politicalactivistsblogtopromotecandidates,solicitandcoordi-
natefinancialcontributions,andprovideopportunitiesforvolunteers.
iPoliticsdescribesthewaysinwhichmediainnovationschangehow
politicians and citizens engage the political arena. Most importantly,
the volume emphasizes the implications of these changes for the pro-
motionofdemocraticideals.Amongotherthings,contributorstothis
volumeanalyzewhetherthepublic’spoliticalknowledgehasincreased
or decreased in the new media era, the role television still plays in
the information universe, the effect bloggers have had on the debate
andoutcomeofhealthcarereform,andthemannerinwhichpolitical
leadersnavigatethenewmediaenvironment.Althoughthemajorityof
contributorsexaminenewmediaandpoliticsintheUnitedStates,the
volume also provides a unique comparative perspective on this rela-
tionshipusingcasesfromabroad.
Richard L. Fox is Associate Professor of Political Science at Loyola
Marymount University. He is coauthor of It Still Takes a Candidate:
Why Women Don’t Run for Office (Cambridge 2010) andTabloid
Justice: The Criminal System in the Age of Media Frenzy, 2nd edi-
tion (2007), as well as coeditor of Gender and Election, 2nd edition
(Cambridge2009).
JenniferM.RamosisAssistantProfessorofPoliticalScienceatLoyola
Marymount University. Her research focuses on understanding the
causesandconsequencesofpoliticalchange,withanemphasisonthe
roleofideas,norms,andidentity.Hercurrentinterestsincludepublic
opinionandforeignpolicy,sovereigntyissues,andmediaandpolitics.
She has published in Journal of Politics, Public Opinion Quarterly,
InternationalStudiesPerspectives,andJournalofPoliticalIdeologies.

iPolitics
Citizens, Elections, and Governing
in the New Media Era
RICHARD L. FOX
LoyolaMarymountUniversity
JENNIFER M. RAMOS
LoyolaMarymountUniversity
cambridgeuniversitypress
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Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107667655
(cid:2)C CambridgeUniversityPress2012
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Firstpublished2012
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AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
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iPolitics:citizens,elections,andgoverninginthenewmediaera/[editedby]
RichardL.Fox,JenniferM.Ramos.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-1-107-01595-1(hardback)–isbn978-1-107-66765-5(paperback)
1.Politicalparticipation–Technologicalinnovations–UnitedStates. 2.Communication
inpolitics–Technologicalinnovations–UnitedStates. 3.Internetinpolitical
campaigns–UnitedStates. 4.Internet–Politicalaspects–UnitedStates. 5.Mass
media–Politicalaspects–UnitedStates. 6.Internetinpublicadministration–United
States. I.Fox,RichardLogan. II.Ramos,Jennifer.
jk1764.i75 2011
320.0285(cid:3)4678–dc23 2011025061
isbn978-1-107-01595-1Hardback
isbn978-1-107-66765-5Paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofURLs
forexternalorthird-partyInternetwebsitesreferredtointhispublicationanddoesnot
guaranteethatanycontentonsuchwebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
Contents
ListofTablesandFigures pagevii
Contributors xi
PrefaceandAcknowledgments xvii
Introduction:PoliticsintheNewMediaEra 1
RichardL.FoxandJenniferM.Ramos
section i. the shifting media universe and news
consumers
1 MoreSources,BetterInformedPublic?NewMediaand
PoliticalKnowledge 25
ZoeM.Oxley
2 RethinkingTelevision’sRelationshiptoPoliticsin
thePost-NetworkEra 48
JeffreyJones
3 Interplay:PoliticalBloggingandJournalism 76
RichardDavis
section ii. campaigns and elections in the new media
environment
4 YouTubeandTVAdvertisingCampaigns:Obamaversus
McCainin2008 103
AnnCrigler,MarionJust,LaurenHume,JesseMills,
andParkerHevron
5 TheRiseofWebCampaigninginFinland 125
TomCarlsonandKimStrandberg
v
vi Contents
6 E-CampaignsinOldEurope:ObservationsfromGermany,
Austria,andSwitzerland 151
UrsGasserandJanGerlach
section iii. civic mobilization and governance in the
new information age
7 PreachingtotheChoirorConvertingtheFlock:
PresidentialCommunicationStrategiesintheAge
ofThreeMedias 183
MatthewA.Baum
8 TwitterandFacebook:NewWaysforMembersof
CongresstoSendtheSameOldMessages? 206
JenniferL.Lawless
9 TheDogThatDidn’tBark:Obama,NetrootsProgressives,
andHealthCareReform 233
MatthewR.Kerbel
10 NewMediaandPoliticalChange:LessonsfromInternet
UsersinJordan,Egypt,andKuwait 259
DeborahL.WheelerandLaurenMintz
Index 289
List of Tables and Figures
tables
I.1. IncreasedInternetUseWorldwide,2000–2009 page5
I.2. UseofNewandEmergingMediaSourcesthrough2010 6
I.3. ChangingNewsandInformation-GatheringHabitsin
theUnitedStates,1993–2008 7
1.1. KnowledgeofPoliticalLeadersandEvents,1989and
2007 30
1.2. PoliticalKnowledgeandEducationLevelbyNews
Source 35
1.3. PredictingPoliticalKnowledgebyTraditionalandNew
MediaSources 37
2.1. LessonsaboutPoliticalLifefromtheFilmTheAmerican
President 63
3.1. FrequencyoftheUseofBlogsintheElementsof
News-GatheringProcess 77
4.1. PredictingNegativityinAds 113
4.2. PredictingCandidateDeceptioninAds 118
4.3. MostDeceptiveAdTopicsbyCandidateandMedium 119
5.1. WebCampaigningintheSixElections:Dataforthe
LongitudinalAnalysis 135
5.2. TheShareofCandidateswithWebsitesintheSix
ElectionsAccordingtoCandidateTraits(%) 137
5.3. PredictingCandidateAdoptionofWebsitesinthe
EPElections 139
5.4. PredictingCandidateAdoptionofWebsitesinthe
NationalElections 140
vii
viii ListofTablesandFigures
5.5. ProvisionofEngagementFeaturesonCandidate
WebsitesintheNationalandtheEPElections
(%ofcandidatesreachingadoptionlevels) 143
5.6. ProvisionofEngagementFeaturesonCandidate
WebsitesintheEPElectionsAccordingtoCandidate
Traits(%ofcandidatesreachingadoptionlevels) 144
5.7. ProvisionofEngagementFeaturesonCandidate
WebsitesintheNationalElectionsAccordingto
CandidateTraits(%ofcandidatesreachingadoption
levels) 145
8.1. WhoUsestheNewMedia?AProfileofTwitterand
FacebookUsers 215
8.2. MultivariateAnalysis:MemberDemographicsand
PoliticalFactorsasPredictorsofTwitterandFacebook
Activity 216
8.3. MagnitudeandIntensityofTwitterandFacebook
Activity 218
8.4. MaximumUsageofNewMedia:Top15Twitterand
FacebookUsers 219
8.5. DisseminationofInformationviaTwitterandFacebook 221
8.6. Top10IssuesMentionedinTwitterFeedsandFacebook
Posts 224
8.7. TwitterandFacebookContent,byMember
DemographicsandPoliticalFactors 227
10.1. InternetPenetrationRatesfortheMiddleEastand
NorthAfrica,2009 262
10.2. EgyptianandJordanianSurveyResultsSummary
Statistics(2004) 270
10.3. KuwaitSurveyResultsSummaryStatistics(2009) 271
figures
1.1. PoliticalKnowledgebyNewsConsumption 34
1.2. MisinformationbyNewsSource,2003and2010 42
4.1. PercentageofInternetVideoViewershipbyParty
Affiliation 106
4.2. PercentageofAdsAppealingtoEmotionandLogicby
Candidate/Medium 114
4.3. PercentageofAdswithEmotionsPresentby
Candidate/Medium 115
4.4. PercentageofDeceptioninAdsbyCandidate/Medium 117
4.5. MeansofDeceptioninAdsbyCandidate/Medium 117
4.6. MeanNumbersofGroupsinAds 120
5.1. TheShareofCandidateswithCampaignWebsites
inU.S.CongressionalElections1996–2006,