Political ads produced for the Internet and political digital videos produced by ordinary citizens are having an impact in the 2008 U.S. election. Taking notice was none other than weekly circulation giant Parade magazine in its edition that fell between the Democratic and Republican conventions.   Both the campaigns of Sens. Barrack Obama and John McCain “have gained hours of unconventional publicity from content that’s been put online and watched by ordinary Americans,” wrote political writer Jonathan Alter in Parade’s August 31 edition.  Alter’s thrust was that voters used to receive information about candidates from news stories, ads, campaign literature, and websites. “But this year, ordinary citizens are becoming active participants by producing their own material on the contenders.”

From Internet ads and citizen content to the first-ever YouTube debate, in 2007, Alter proclaims, “Today any American can potentially have the power of a Tom Brokaw.”  That’s high praise coming from an established mainstream journalist, though a progressive one.

As a journalist dismayed by the corporate media, I’ve been intrigued by the concept of citizen journalists.  Think Thomas Paine.  For Paine, however, his acute reasoning did not have to contend with an America where more citizens decided elections by sound bites rather than intelligent debate. As this article explains, social science research shows people tend to respond more to symbolic, vivid images than to substantive issues. Broadcast and, now, digital media, have particularly empowered symbol over substance.  Not to say there are not many would-be Thomas Paine’s on the Internet.  But can they make themselves heard over a Paris Hilton political video?  Not so far.

Bill Bartman is a print, broadcast, and new media journalist who also consults media, telecommunications, and Information Technology ventures. A published author, he operates out of Pittsburgh, PA, with an office near Washington, DC.

Article Tags: Barrack Obama | citizen journalists | Internet ads | Internet videos | John McCain | Jonathan Alter | Parade magazine | Paris Hilton | Thomas Paine | Tom Brokaw | user-generated | YouTube

Filed under: Election, News article, Technology, Video, Videography