Once upon a time, political campaigns were all conducted with plenty of hand-shaking, baby-kissing and in-person canvassing. As the internet has become more and more vital in our lives, politicians have increasingly turned towards online campaigning and social media to reach a wide audience and garner support.
The internet allows politicians, lobbyists and activists to reach a wider audience than ever before at speeds unmatched by any other form of media, and gives them the chance to explore a huge range of different formats. From tweets and Facebook posts to videos, images, polls and podcasts, the possi
bilities are endless when it comes to spreading a political message or ideology.
When this is added to the fact that huge numbers of people use mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to access the internet, meaning that politicians can reach people in any location at any tim
e, it’s clear that the internet has been the biggest game changer to hit the political world in the last few decades.
Of course, alongside the legitimate political campaigning there have also been some dirty online tactics involved over the years. We’ve been watching the current American presidential campaigns with interest, and it seems that Jeb Bush’s domain, www.jebbush.com, has been cheekily snapped up by his Republican rival Donald Trump and now redirects towards his site instead. Although Trump denies having anything to do with it and claims it’s the work of a prankster, who knows what detrimental effect this could have on Bush’s chances?