THUNDER BAY – There is relief as the end is in sight. The United States political races will end Tuesday. That respite might be short-lived as it seems more and more that political advertising and campaigning has become a permanent fixture on our online landscapes. Likely by February the campaigns, in the United States for
One of the growing factors, of course has been political campaigning online using social media. Increasing amounts of money are being spent on ads to run online.
The fatique of the campaign might best be demonstrated by a Youtube video in which Amy a young girl is crying over the election.
The political parties are not the only ones getting in on the antics with online videos. The Simpsons on Fox are featuring an ‘endorsement’ of Mitt Romney from Nuclear Power Plant owner C. Montgomery Burns.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project states, “Some 66% of registered voters who use the internet—55% of all registered voters—have gone online this election season to watch videos related to the election campaign or political issues. Specifically, they have done at least one of the following activities involving online political videos:
- 48% of internet-using registered voters watch video news reports online about the election or politics
- 40% watch previously recorded videos online of candidate speeches, press conferences, or debates
- 39% watch informational videos online that explain a political issue
- 37% watch humorous or parody videos online dealing with political issues
- 36% watch political advertisements online
- 28% watch live videos online of candidate speeches, press conferences, or debates
The process of discovering political videos online is highly social. Some 62% of internet-using registered voters have had others recommend online videos for them to watch related to the election or to politics.
The costs of production for online video can be either minimal, or massive depending on the ad. The ramifications of poorly done video, as demonstrated by the Liberal Party of Canada in a video delivered featuring former Leader Stephane Dion can be a disaster.
Moving into the new digital world, with almost instant video, instant Tweets on Twitter and massive reach on Facebook means new political strategies are needed.
That shift is one that likely will be closely monitored by pollsters and political partisans. The public’s attention span is perhaps shorter today than at any time in history.
James Murray
