Internet in Terms of National Politics

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Participation in politics has been noted by leading behavioural theorists to be greatly influenced by the socioeconomic characteristics of individuals. The education and income level of the individual have been cited among the most influential variables that drive an individual into voting or taking any important political step. Other factors that influence an individual to actively participate in politics are race gender, ethnicity, attitudinal factors, age, political interest, and political efficacy (Tolbert & McNeal 2003, p. 175). However, it has currently been identified that the advent of the Internet has brought a new perspective in national politics. The Internet has brought with it new ways through which both the politicians and the public can be involved in altering the national political directions (Aikens and Koch 1996, p. 74). Accordingly, this paper will point out the role of the Internet in national politics and thus highlight the importance of restructuring the political approaches in regard to the new technological advances.

According to White (2008, par. 9), the internet allows politicians and parties to gain financial support from their adherents. Through the Internet, political parties are able to communicate with the public and hence call for party support through financial donations. In return, the party supporters are able to give their donations through the same means. A good example was the Democratic Party’s ability to gain record-breaking financial support from the public. In September 2008 alone, the Internet assisted Obama to amass a total of $150 million (White 2008, par. 9).

In addition, the Internet acts as the tool through which political criticism can be diffused and countered (Casey 1996, p. 15). While a candidate can be criticised for shortcomings in his character, it is easier for the political party to counter the allegations by using the Internet to avail information to its adherents. This can be attributed to the implication of the Internet on the national discourse. In their report called “Buzz, Bloggs and beyond: The Internet and the National Discourse in the Fall of 2004,” Jobbins and Cornfield (2009, par. 6) point out that “…political bloggers can make an impact on politics.” In the 2008 US presidential elections, the Democrats used the Internet as a weapon through which they could counter the allegations that their presidential candidate Barrack Obama was inexperienced and hence incompetent. By using the Internet, the Democrats campaigned for the establishment of a culture of everyone being an expert of himself to foster development (White 2008, par. 5).

Tolbert and McNeal (2003, p. 175) further argue that the Internet provides information about the candidates and the political parties and also the elections. The public usually depends on the mass media to provide information concerning the political direction of the country. However, not all the media can be relied upon by the public. in most cases, people will entrust their faithful allegiance to media that gives them the information they need at the appropriate time, efficiently, conveniently and cheaply. With such a medium, the behavioural pattern of the public is very likely to be swayed. The internet is this kind of media. It allows the public to access information in the outlined manner and hence it is likely to change the political orientation of an individual (Bimber 1999, p. 126; Weaver et al 1981, p. 34; Jarvis and Wilkerson 2005, par. 6).

The above qualities of the Internet simply imply that contemporary politics in a nation must refocus its tactical approach. While behavioural theories pointed out that socioeconomic characteristics played an important role in the political inclination of an individual, the focus must be turned to the Internet. Rethinking the nature of politics is a prerequisite to any political party that dreams of success. This is because the Internet is the main source of information that the public uses and hence is capable of changing their behaviour.

With the Internet having connections all around the globe, the internal politics of a nation becomes highly influenced by external factors. On the other hand, the external policy formations are also greatly influenced by the internal politics of a nation. As Bollier (2003, p. V) argues, the political and economic decisions of the world are greatly influenced by cyber campaigns. With the help of the Internet, communities that live in the diaspora have an opportunity to alter the internal politics of their homeland without traveling there. This happens through the use of e-mails and websites that allow them to pass information rapidly from one person to the other. For instance, the use of the Internet helped Jody Williams to campaign against landmines an affair that ended up with more than 140 countries signing the Mine Ban Treaty. This means that the internal politics of the countries were affected by external factors through the facilitation of the Internet. On the other hand, the internal politics of the countries that were experiencing death from land mines acted as an influencing factor on the international policy hence the internal politics of a country influencing the external policymaking.

With the advent of the Internet, the idea of community has taken a different perspective. Initially, a community belonged to a small group of people that shared the same interests. However, the current idea of community has taken a wider approach. With networked digital media, the whole globe has become a small village. While national leaders and diplomats had the say several years before, the current trend which has been established by the Internet has completely outdated the rules. Currently, the national borders have been blurred and hierarchies have been flattened hence giving power to the common citizen (Bollier 2003, p. VI). What implication has this on the idea of community? This implies that with the advent of the Internet, the community ceased to be a small organization. The Internet made the whole world a single community. Different members from different countries can advocate for a similar interest through cyber campaigns and receive the desired response from the governments. This is evidenced by the anti-landmine campaigns that were carried out by people from different countries around the globe but who were sharing similar interests. This also implies that national leaders no longer have the power to dictate their terms. Democracy has been promoted as citizens were given the power to advocate for their interests (Browning 1996, p.74).

In conclusion, the Internet has acted as a medium through which politics have taken a new direction. Through the internet, political parties have had a channel through which they are able to pass relevant information to their supporters. In addition, the supporters can respond to the call of their parties through the Internet by sending their views or financial assistance. On the other hand, the Internet has broken the national walls making internal politics be affected by external factors. Equally, international policies have been affected by the internal politics of a nation. Through the Internet, the globe has become a single community that can advocate for its interests. The Internet has also changed the power of decision-making from national leaders to citizens through cyber campaigns that involve millions of people all over the globe.

References

Aikens, S., & Koch, E. 1996. “Building democracy online.” Computer Mediated Communication Magazine, vol 3 no 4. 2009. Web.

Bimber, B. 1999. “The Internet and Citizen Communication with Government: Does the Medium Matter?” Political Communication 16 (4): 409-28.

Bollier, D 2003. “The Rise of Netpolitik: How the Internet is Changing International Politics and Diplomacy.” Aspen Institute Roundtable on IT. 2009. Web.

Browning, G. (1996). Electronic Democracy: Using the Internet to Influence Politics. Wilton, CT: Online, Inc.

Casey, C. 1996. The Hill on the Net: Congress Enters the Information Age. Boston: AP Professional.

Jarvis, S., and Wilkerson, K. 2005. “Congress on the Internet: Messages on the homepages of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1996 and 2001.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, issue 10 no 2, article 9. Web.

Jobbins, C and Cornfield, M 2009. “Innovative study suggests where bloggs fit into national politics.” Pew Trusts. Web.

Tolbert, C and McNeal, R 2003. “Unravelling the effects of the Internet on political participation.” Political Research Qurterly. 2009. Web.

Weaver, D. H., D. A. Graber, M. E. McCombs, and C. H. Eyal.1981. Media Agenda-Setting in a Presidential Election: Issues, Images and Interest. New York:Praeger.

White, J 2008. “Bai analyses Internet’s effect on national politics.” The Tufts Daily. 2009. Web.

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Internet in Terms of National Politics

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