Week 3: Role of Media and Technology, Section 4

Brief snapshot of Technology Impacting Campaigns

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The Iowa Presidential Caucuses are an excellent example of the functions and complexities of the political communications processes.
There is a wide body of research on the impact of the media on democracy and specifically on the election process.

One concern is that citizens and especially voters no longer make intelligent and individual decisions when they interact with and participate in the political process. The media has become a “gatekeeper” who shapes and perhaps even “misshapes” or misrepresents political reality. There has also been a theory that the media discourage people and alienate them, thus suppressing participation.

The media has also now become the national “agenda setter” which elevates certain issues and processes to great visibility. That can be good, but it also means that issues neglected by the media do not make it to the presidential candidate discussions. Moreover, the media is now so specific and specialized that instead of “broadcasting” it often “narrowcasts” thus enveloping people in themes and information that reinforces their existing views ad positions.

Clearly mass media, especially television has changed how people receive and digest political information. The Iowa Caucuses themselves have altered presidential candidate selection, because this event attracts such a massive amount of media coverage and it does so, very early in the campaign season. The caucuses have, of course, been called primarily a “media event”, since it is the coverage of the caucus night results that carries the enormous punch and can make or break presidential contenders.

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Videos

• Interview with Dr. David Andersen, Associate Professor of Political Science, Iowa State University