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The impact of Web-based communication on elections and political policy-making
Web- based communication uses the internet as its main way of transmitting the messages. These types of communication include the use if emails, instant messaging and video conferencing. This is the most common method of communication used in this generation. This is because of its numerous positive attributes. Web- based communication has several effects on elections and political policy-making. These effects are both negative and positive. In this generation especially, the impact of the use of the internet as a method of communication has played a role in the making of political policies and even in elections.
In the case of elections, most politicians have opted to use the internet in order to increase the number of voters that they are addressing. They may do this using the numerous media networks that have come up like facebook and twitter. In this way, they are able to reach a larger number of people than they ordinarily would during the campaigns. From the use of social media, the politicians are able to connect with the electorate without the use of intermediaries. This enables them to get their opinions on several things like the laws passes in congress for instance. This will ensure that the politicians will make the subsequent decisions based on the needs of the populace. In this way, the internet has affected the making of policies in parliament (Cohen and Tsfati, 360).
The use of web-based communication is also advantageous since any physical barriers such as water bodies or mountains do not affect it. The politician may not reach the desired people due to such barriers but due to the use of the internet, they are not affected. This is attributed to the fact that the internet uses optic fibers to transmit the information (Andina- Diaz, 70). Another advantage of using web-based communication is that it is the cheapest method of communication. It costs significantly less than all the other means of communication like phone calls for instance. This makes is very affordable for use by politicians as opposed to the ordinary expensive campaign rallies.
Apart from the various advantages that web-based communication, some disadvantages are also associate with it. The most prominent of the disadvantages is that this method of communication lacks personal appeal. This means that the politicians cannot entirely substitute the social media for campaigns (Malhotra and Krosnick, 265). This is because, during the campaigns, the politician may employ the use of maintaining eye contact. This creates a greater impression on the voter as opposed to an inbox message on facebook. This kind of communication can, therefore, only be used to supplement other communication methods but not as the main communication method.
The internet is also not safe. It is prone to several breaches for instance in the case of hackers who lift people’s personal information from the internet. Some people may pose as the politician and send messages that may affect the career of the person in question. The politician will not be able to prove that this message was not sent from him. Due to the speed of the internet, it enables the fast spread of rumors and there is hardly any way of validating the claims online. For the users, they may not discern the truth from the lies and this may affect their choice in terms of leadership. In policymaking, the internet may be used to spread bad publicity about a particular law. This may cause uproar by the citizens and that may even result in demonstrations.
The use of the internet as a method of communication has both advantages and disadvantages as mentioned above. This communication has a great influence on the process of policymaking and elections. This is because it the most widespread method of communication mostly due to the fact that it is cheap and fast. However, the people using it should know their limits in order to ensure their safety.
Works Cited
Andina-Díaz, Ascensión. “Reinforcement vs. Change: The political influence of the Media.” Public Choice Vol. 131, No. 1/2 (Apr. 2007): pp. 65-81. Print.
Cohen, Jonathan, and Yariv Tsfati. “The Influence of Presumed Media Influence on Strategic Voting.” Communication Research. 36.3 (2009): 359-378. Print.
Malhotra, Neil and Krosnick, J. A. “Retrospective and Prospective Performance Assessments during the 2004 Election Campaign: Tests of Mediation and News Media Priming.” Political Behavior Vol. 29, No. 2, Special Issue: The Iraq War and the 2004 Presidential Election (Jun. 2007), pp. 249-278. Print.
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