The Role of Internet in Elections (A case study of the Presidential Election of the USA in 2008)

Subject Areas : علوم سیاسی

Mohammad Taghi Delforooz ¹

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Received: 2011-10-19 Accepted : 2012-03-13 Published : 2012-06-01

Keywords: Internet, Digital Democracy, Election Propaganda, Internet Propaganda, Political Mobilization,

Abstract :

Internet has found an increasing role in the politics, during the last decade. Today, terms like digital democracy, Internet elections, Internet advertisements (propaganda, social- political Web logging in the internet has become common terms. Internet is getting replaced for the traditional media in politics. The interactive characteristic of this media has changed it to an unrivaled instrument for political propaganda and spread of supporters. One of the most important domains getting influenced by this media is the election. Parties and candidates have inclined to use this instrument to succeed in the elections. Because of this importance, researchers in politics are also, increasingly investigating on the effect of this media in politics. Presidential election of the 2008 of the America is considered as a turning point because of its use in propaganda and election preparation. In this article an attempt is made to explore how Obama used this media, purposefully, to get over his republican competitor.