Survey -50% turning to the Web to get Information on the Presidential Election

[Ichingcarpenter]

Survey: Record number of Americans following election via Web


Once Barack Obama started Twittering, John McCain created a MySpace page, and Hillary Clinton joined Facebook, it became apparent that the 2008 presidential election was relying heavily on social media. But now, a Pew survey has the numbers to prove it, concluding that 46 percent of Americans have used the Internet for politics so far this election season, with topics like Obama and online videos taking a front seat.

The poll, conducted by Pew Internet and American Life Project, was based on information provided by Princeton Survey Research Associates . Earlier this spring, the surveyors contacted 2,251 Americans to find out how they are using the Web to investigate and communicate about the election. The survey results found that almost half are turning to the Web to get information about the presidential race. That's a significant jump from the spring of the 2004 election, when only one-third of adults said they looked online for election news.

Several of the conclusions show numbers doubling or tripling from the last presidential election season. One of these was in the area of online political videos. In 2004, only 13 percent of adults said they watched online videos concerning the election, but this year, already 35 percent use sites like YouTube for partisan information. And people aren't just watching campaign ads, but seeking out primary sources like recorded speeches.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9968497-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20

[anonymous171]

1. Good. I wondered why the MSM wasn't having as much of an effect as they usually do.

[Ichingcarpenter]

2. This is why the power and freedom of the Web must not be curtailed

It is a increasing powerful tool that negates the propaganda of the MSN.
This poll is an important trend changing poll that points to the future
that must be protected.

[anonymous171]

3. It's also why the corporatocracy is trying desperately to control the internet.

Their old methods of manipulating public opinion are becoming obsolete.

[seasat]

4. Bowers at Open Left posted a neat way to use this to our advantage

I posted about this in the old GDPrime. If you mention John McCain in a post, link it to one of nine articles that mention some policy of McCain's that would turn off most voters. The result is that the article gets moved up in ranking by search engines. I no longer refer to him as McSame, McHundred, ect but use either "McCain" or "John McCain" name to help tailor the search and included a URL for one of the articles in my signature. If a large number of us on DU started doing this regularly, it would make a big impact on those searching for information on the web.

Here's Chris Bower's first and second articles on how it works.

[definitelygenius]

5. Question

When the survey says, "web", those it include websites from traditional mainstream sites such as NY Times, etc.? Or only others?

[FrenchieCat]

6. Hope that the news media start to "get" the fact that they are becoming irrelevant.....

which is why their canonizing of Tim Russert as they are doing is falling on deaf ears. They are entertaining each other, and everyone else has turned them off.