Americans Getting Beyond Sound Bite Politics Thanks To The Internet?
from the good-for-them dept
While some people are trying to make the case that the internet makes people dumber, some new research from the Pew folks has suggested the opposite may be true. It looked at how Americans are using the internet during the presidential campaign and found a significant number of them are using the internet to go beyond the insipid soundbites, and trying to dig out more substance. That is, they're watching unfiltered campaign speeches and debates, and also actually reading full campaign position papers and speeches. That would seem to go against those who claim that things like Google and Twitter are getting people into the mindset of only looking at snippets and soundbites. By the way, most of the coverage of this report is found in an Associated Press article, but thanks to the Associated Press's ridiculous anti-blogger policies we won't link to the AP version of the story, preferring, instead the press release from Pew.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Filed Under: politics, soundbites, studies
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
Sweet like a lemon
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
AP
They seem to think that they are the FOURTH branch of government and that they can control the masses.
BARF! I'm so stinking sick of the AP.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
;p
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
does it matter
"A Record-Breaking 46 Percent..."
Wow. We we are a society addicted to records, aren't we? Do we need a record for that? Does one even exist?
What I see on that web page is a bunch of percentages which amount to very little useful information. More information does not make people more informed or smarter. And I think most people seek out information which supports their preexisting opinion. We flock together, whether in the mall or on the internet. In fact, I would argue that people have less well-developed critical thinking skills these days, which probably makes information - statistics, in particular - more dangerous in their hands.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Internet has made me poor
I need to find a new job
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Internet has made me poor
I could probably count on my hands and feet the number of people in the world right now who can actually make their living being ONLY a concert cellist.
But really, one think that mainstream media still has the advantage of over independent blogging/internet news is the budget to do very involved investigative journalism (IMO). The industry is changing dramatically.
As for dogs farting on small children, idk, I actually have yet to see it but I think it would be hilarious if it were actually out there. XD
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
It is because of the internet that
I rely on my tailored internet sources to get information I want at a level of detail I like instead of relying on 'Professional News Organizations' to digest and dumb-down what they think is important.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Changed My View
I had been a die-hard Democrat until I began having access to news that was unfiltered by media gatekeepers. Once I had news, arguments and opinions from *all* sides of the political spectrum, my world view completely changed.
I've come to see that Republicans have most often been unfairly maligned and demonized. I've also come to the realization that for most of my life the media in the U.S. has favored the Democrat party in subtle and not so subtle ways.
The end result of all this new found access to raw information? I've become an independent libertarian.
Welcome to the real world.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Changed My View
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Sound bites on demand
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Frankly, there should be a litmus test to voting. Otherwise it's just mob rule. And the mob tends to be filled with complete fucking mouth-breathing idiots.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: by Anonymous Coward
Hmmm.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: by Anonymous Coward
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
straws
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
adding sound
HTML MUSIC / MEDIA CODE - Sound
http://html-lesson.blogspot.com/2008/06/music-media-code-sound.html
[ link to this | view in chronology ]