Mass Media Effects

As stated in the book, by 2004, over 50 million people had myspace accounts, which was a popular way to blog during the 2004 election. Since the 2004 elections, a similar website to myspace, known as facebook has been created. In the most recent Presidential election, facebook became a popular way for voters to get their voice heard about the candidates. Facebook has over 300 million active users world-wide and has become an important, influencial form of communication over the past few years. On facebook, there is a tool that allows anyone with an active account to create a group (public or private) and invite as many friends as they wish. If the group is public, then the friends can invite their friends, and so on. Facebook groups became one popular way to get voices heard about candidates and their issues. When these names are typed in the search box, the following number shows the results for groups including those candidates:

• Obama: 1,400+
• McCain: 367
• Biden: 65
• Palin: 164

Since it is a couple of years after the election, there is a possibility that some groups have been added or deleted about these candidates. These groups have anywhere from 1 to many thousand members per group.

There is also a chance for people to create fan pages for celebrities, politicians, and athletes. There is one for Obama that is called "Barack Obama (One Million Strong for Barack)" This group includes 1,062,818 members and makes it possible for members to share photos, related web-sites and a discussion board. As talked about in class, Obama was able to successfully get college students involved in his campaign and allow them to learn more information at their convenience, such as the numerous technology-based media sources used. Although the campaign is over, group members are still adding photos and information about Obama and his success while in the Whitehouse. This tool will be important througout his term in the Whitehouse and while running for reelection.