📺Media and Democracy Unit 7 – Political Campaigns and Media Strategies

Key Concepts and Theories

• Agenda setting theory suggests media influences public perception by prioritizing certain issues
• Framing theory posits media frames shape how audiences interpret and react to political messages
  • Frames can be issue-specific (healthcare) or generic (conflict, human interest)
• Priming theory proposes media exposure activates related concepts in viewers' minds, influencing their evaluations
• Two-step flow theory argues opinion leaders mediate media influence on the broader public
• Selective exposure theory contends individuals seek information aligning with their beliefs, avoiding contradictory messages
• Cultivation theory suggests long-term media exposure shapes perceptions of social reality
• Spiral of silence theory proposes individuals hesitate to express minority views due to fear of isolation

Historical Context of Political Campaigns

• Early campaigns (19th century) relied on partisan newspapers, pamphlets, and public speeches
• Radio transformed political communication in the 1920s, allowing candidates to reach wider audiences
• Television's rise in the 1950s shifted focus to candidate image and soundbites
  • Kennedy-Nixon debates (1960) highlighted TV's impact on voter perceptions
• Televised attack ads emerged in the 1960s (Daisy ad, 1964) and became more prevalent in subsequent decades
• Cable television and 24-hour news channels (1980s-1990s) increased political coverage and punditry
• Internet's growth in the 1990s introduced websites and email as campaign tools
• Social media's emergence (2000s) revolutionized voter engagement and micro-targeting strategies

Media Landscape and Its Evolution

• Traditional media includes newspapers, radio, and television
  • Declining newspaper readership and increasing media consolidation
  • Fragmentation of television audience across cable, satellite, and streaming platforms
• New media encompasses internet-based platforms (websites, blogs, social networks)
  • Allows for direct candidate-voter communication and user-generated content
• Hybrid media system blends traditional and new media, with content flowing across platforms
• Media convergence refers to the merging of previously distinct media technologies and industries
• Narrowcasting targets niche audiences through specialized media outlets and platforms
• Echo chambers emerge as individuals consume content reinforcing their existing beliefs
• Increasing polarization and partisanship in media consumption and political discourse

Campaign Communication Strategies

• Message development crafts campaign themes, slogans, and talking points
  • Tailored to target demographics and informed by polling and focus groups
• Image management shapes candidate's public persona through appearances, speeches, and advertisements
• Negative campaigning attacks opponents' character, record, or positions
  • Can be effective but risks backlash if perceived as too aggressive or unfair
• Earned media refers to free coverage through news reports, interviews, and debates
• Paid media includes television, radio, print, and digital advertisements
  • Micro-targeting uses data to deliver personalized messages to specific voter segments
• Ground game involves door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, and get-out-the-vote efforts
• Rapid response teams monitor and counter opposition messaging in real-time

Digital and Social Media in Campaigns

• Websites serve as central hubs for campaign information, donations, and volunteer recruitment
• Email marketing directly reaches supporters with fundraising appeals and mobilization messages
• Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) enable direct voter engagement and viral content sharing
  • Allows for real-time updates, live-streaming, and interactive Q&A sessions
• Data analytics inform targeted advertising, voter outreach, and message refinement
  • Psychographic profiling (Cambridge Analytica) raises privacy and manipulation concerns
• Memes and viral content can quickly spread campaign messages, but lack of control risks backfiring
• Astroturfing involves creating fake grassroots support through paid social media posts and comments
• Disinformation and fake news can rapidly disseminate through social networks, undermining informed discourse

Media Effects on Voter Behavior

• Agenda setting influences which issues voters consider most important
• Framing affects how voters interpret and evaluate political information
• Priming can alter the criteria voters use to assess candidates and issues
• Selective exposure reinforces existing beliefs and contributes to polarization
• Persuasion effects are more likely among undecided or less-engaged voters
• Mobilization effects encourage political participation and turnout
  • Social pressure (Facebook's "I Voted" button) can increase likelihood of voting
• Demobilization effects, such as negative advertising, can suppress voter turnout
• Minimal effects perspective argues media influence is limited by individual predispositions and interpersonal factors

Ethical Considerations and Regulations

• Campaign finance laws limit contributions and require disclosure to prevent corruption
  • Citizens United (2010) ruling allows unlimited corporate and union spending on political ads
• Equal-time rule mandates equal opportunity for candidate appearances on broadcast media
• Fairness Doctrine (abolished 1987) required balanced coverage of controversial issues
• Truth in advertising laws prohibit deceptive or misleading claims in political ads
• Privacy concerns arise from data collection and micro-targeting practices
• Disinformation and foreign interference pose threats to electoral integrity
  • Social media platforms face pressure to combat fake news and hate speech
• Media bias, both real and perceived, undermines trust in political journalism
• Journalists' relationships with campaigns and sources raise conflict of interest questions

Case Studies and Real-World Examples

• Obama's 2008 campaign pioneered use of social media and online fundraising
  • My.BarackObama.com platform empowered supporters to self-organize events and outreach
• Trump's 2016 campaign leveraged Twitter for direct communication and agenda setting
  • Cambridge Analytica scandal exposed data privacy vulnerabilities and targeted psychographic profiling
• Sanders' 2016 and 2020 campaigns demonstrated power of grassroots online fundraising
  • Average donation of $27 in 2016 and$18 in 2020, mostly from small-dollar donors
• Russian interference in 2016 U.S. election involved social media disinformation and hacking of Democratic National Committee emails
• Brexit referendum (2016) and U.K. elections highlight impact of targeted Facebook advertising and data analytics
• Duterte's 2016 Philippines campaign used viral memes, online trolls, and disinformation to mobilize support
• 2018 Brazilian presidential election featured widespread WhatsApp misinformation and conspiracy theories
• 2020 U.S. presidential campaign adapted to COVID-19 pandemic with virtual conventions, town halls, and rallies