U.S. ELECTIONS 2008

Democratic presidential hopefuls Mike Gravel, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, Joseph Biden, and Dennis Kucinich listen to a question from the Reverend Reggie Longcrier of Hickory, North Carolina, as they participate in the debate sponsored by CNN, YouTube, and Google at The Citadel military college in Charleston, South Carolina in July 2007. © AP Images/Charles Dharapak

How the Internet Is Changing the Playing Field

Andy Carvin 

The Internet has revolutionized communication over the last decade, bringing people together for every imaginable purpose. The author discusses several online innovations that have come into play in the political arena, as candidates and — even more creatively — citizens use technology to influence voters. Andy Carvin is former director of the Digital Divide Network and writes a blog called Learning.now for the Public Broadcasting Service.

The 2008 U.S. general election will no doubt be a watershed year in American history but not necessarily because of any particular candidate or policy. As has been the case in recent election cycles, the Internet has become a potent political tool in terms of campaigning, fundraising, and civic engagement. What is making this particular election cycle so interesting, though, is that much of the innovation taking place isn't being done by the campaigns or the politicians but by the American public.

Internet access is by no means a new phenomenon in the United States. Beginning in the mid-1990s, millions of Americans have acquired Internet access and technology skills, whether at home, at work, or at school. According to a June 2007 report from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 71 percent of all American adults had Internet access at home, while nearly 50 percent of adults had high-speed broadband access.

Similarly, the vast majority of U.S. public schools and libraries are online. There are still gaps in terms of access and skills among disenfranchised populations, particularly when it comes to education and income levels, as well as among the elderly, people with disabilities, and ethnic minorities. But the general trend over the last decade has been significant growth in Internet penetration.

As the American public first began to go online, much of the content available over the Internet was produced by professionals or people with technological expertise. Online publishing required prerequisite technological skills, as well as the ability to produce large amounts of polished content. In particular, audio and video online was generally considered the realm of major media outlets.

This did not mean, however, that the Internet was devoid of content produced by the public. Starting in the late 1990s, an ever-growing number of people began to publish their own personal journals, or "Web logs," about the daily goings-on of their lives. Some were interesting; many of them weren't. But the idea of Web logs, or blogs, struck enough of a nerve with some online developers that they began to design tools to make it easier for anyone to publish text online. This phenomenon quickly developed its own terminology, among which "Web 2.0" and "social media" have become some of the most common ways of describing these trends. (more)