Can the Internet Be Used to Persuade?
Each day I believe the Internet grows and becomes a more important piece of our lives. Not only do I believe the Internet can help us keep in touch with our loved ones and friends better than ever before, it can teach us about things we don't know and can offer us new insight into the world. But can it be used to persuade? Of course.
The Internet in my opinion is an excellent breeding ground for original thought and contrary to Sunstein's opinion, the Internet is great for democracy. The Internet is a critical component of a campaign and can be used to sway voters onto its side. The key word is component however.
We all say that the Internet will never replace a grassroots volunteer's phone call the day before an Election and will never replace spending the money to put a key billboard up on a busy interstate, but it can be used in conjunction with these techniques. Why not put the candidate's Web address smack dab in the middle of the important billboard? Rather than just reminding voters of a particular candidate's name, let's tell them where to go to find out more.
The Internet can be used to persuade because it can offer more information than a single piece of direct mail ever will. We can place candidate response ads on the Internet that are perfect in the form of 43 seconds, but we could never do that on television. We can have a candidate publish a blog where the voters can engage him or her in discussion. Where else can we do that?
People say that the problem is we cannot make an individual go to a Web site to learn about a candidate. No kidding. At the same time we cannot make a person sit in front of the television to watch a 30 second television spot either.
The Internet can be used to persuade and has been used to persuade and will do so even more in the future.
The Internet in my opinion is an excellent breeding ground for original thought and contrary to Sunstein's opinion, the Internet is great for democracy. The Internet is a critical component of a campaign and can be used to sway voters onto its side. The key word is component however.
We all say that the Internet will never replace a grassroots volunteer's phone call the day before an Election and will never replace spending the money to put a key billboard up on a busy interstate, but it can be used in conjunction with these techniques. Why not put the candidate's Web address smack dab in the middle of the important billboard? Rather than just reminding voters of a particular candidate's name, let's tell them where to go to find out more.
The Internet can be used to persuade because it can offer more information than a single piece of direct mail ever will. We can place candidate response ads on the Internet that are perfect in the form of 43 seconds, but we could never do that on television. We can have a candidate publish a blog where the voters can engage him or her in discussion. Where else can we do that?
People say that the problem is we cannot make an individual go to a Web site to learn about a candidate. No kidding. At the same time we cannot make a person sit in front of the television to watch a 30 second television spot either.
The Internet can be used to persuade and has been used to persuade and will do so even more in the future.
1 Comments:
I read your arguement and you are basically on the same wavelength that I am. I believe that if the internet is so useless as some claim then why are politcal candidates now in a mad dash to create websites. I believe the internet is going to grow exponentially and that as technology gets better so will they the internet is used. Most people are plugged into thier computers then anything else. All of us work in a place where we have access to a computer that is hooked up to the web. So more and more people who are sitting at thier desks for 8 plus hours a day are your prime targets since they will be surfing the web everyday.
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