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The Public Participation in Political Campaign
Byung Kyu KangEvolution and Trends of
the Communication TechnologiesDec. 6, 2004
Overview Introduction Political Participation
What is it? Communication Theory
Previous Participation based on Social Structure Initial Motivations for Public Participation
Offline Vs. Online Background Comparison Social Effect of Online Participation
Anticipation – the Future Conclusion
What is Political Participation?
DefinitionIn the research, “Voice and equality: Civic Volunteerism in A
merican Politics,” Verba, S., Schlozman, K.L, & Brady H.E.(1995) said,
“ [political participation] is an activity that has the intent of effect of influencing government action – either directly by affecting the making or implementation of public policy or indirectly by influencing the selection of people who make those policies.”
Communication Theory
Balance Theory -> change the “attitude”
Previous Participation based on Social Structure Initial Motivations
The Effect of Church Central intermediary between the public and the state The heart of many voluntary organizations Strong religious belief and regular social interactions, Provide political training ground
Interpersonal and Mass Communication Political contents of consumed television and newspapers -> increase of political participation Increased interests in usage of various mass media have
resulted in a rise of interpersonal discussion about political issues.
Offline Public Participation Conventional (offline) Forms of Public Participation
1. Sign a petition
2. Attend a public meeting
3. Write to an elected government
representative
4. Attend a rally or speech
5. Serve on a local organization
committee
6. Serve as a club or organization
officer
7. Work for a political party
8. Write a letter to a newspaper
9. Give a speech
10. Be a member of a group
11. Write an article for a magazine
or newspaper
12. Hold or run for a political office 0
10
20
30
40
50
60
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
%
Online Public Participation
Background (1/2)
Limitation of conventional participation methods require free time, money, and organizational
(communication) skills Given equal motivation -> not equal opportunities to
participate in political campaign in reality
Popularization of the Internet use
Online Public Participation
Background (2/2)
Popularization of the Internet use
68.8%(201,661,159 ) of U.S. population(293,271,500) as of July/04 Growth rate of Internet usage from 2000 to 2004 -> 111.5%
88% of online American - the Internet plays an important role in their daily routines
64% - their activities would be affected without it 92% - a good place to go for getting everyday information 85% - a good way to communicate or interact with others
Offline Vs. Online
What online citizens did in 2002 election on the Web
1. Seek information about candidate record2. information about candidate voting records3. register opinions in online polls4. information about where to vote5. participate in online discussions about elections6. contribute to candidates7. send or receive campaign-related email
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
%
Offline Vs. Online
64 % used email during the 2002 campaign
1. used email to send & receive jokes about the campaign
2. received email relation to campaign endorsementor opposition
3. sent email related to their political preferences4. signed up for political e-newsletters5. got or sent email relating to
get-out-the-vote efforts
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
1 2 3 4 5
%
Offline Vs. Online (of the Internet
population)
Offline % OnlineInterpersonal offline campaign communication
5519.2
Electronic interpersonal campaign communication
Contact a candidate offline 13 7.7 Contact a candidate online
Sign a petition offline17.2
17.2
Register preferences in an online campaign opinion polls
Place a bumper sticker on a car15.5
2.9Place a campaign hyperlink on a Web site
Attend a campaign speech or rally
13.4
22.8
Visit a candidate’s Web site
Donate money to a candidate or political party offline
14.5
2.0Donate money to a candidate or political party online
Social Effect of Online
Motivate the minorities, women, young generation, less educated, or ethnic groups,
to participate in political campaign more actively
Blogs Easy to create, cheap to set up, and commonplace on the
web Turn voters into active participants than passive consumers Focus attention on ignored issues by traditional media. In 2000, independent and home-grown weblogs – about
6,700.
An example of Blogs www.votergasm.org
Mobilizing the action (in March, 2004)
Conclusion (Future)
Drawbacks of Online participation Disinformation, misinformation, slander, etc… Strict regulation needed
“Digital Divide” still affects Poor, Less-Educated 67% of white use the Internet, 43% of black use it. 44%(Less than $30,000), 69%($30,~$50,), 81%($50,~$75,), 89%
(over$75,) 32%(Less than high school), 52%(high school), 75%(some college), 88%
(college+)
Internet use and voter turnout -> less connected
★ Offline and Online participation will still coexist.