Digital campaigns attract young voters
By:
katelyn polantz
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: News
It's time to tune in to the next episodes of "The Apprentice," "Survivor," "The Real World," "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and … tomorrow's Pennsylvania primary?
Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama are the bitter enemy housemates, locked in what seems like a fight to the death - or at least until August - in this long-running reality TV show. Republican de facto candidate Sen. John McCain is lying low until the finale, gearing up to face his rival once their race is sorted out.
But there's one character in the mix whose innocence has been overrated and whose rising star power might give the final answer in the presidential election: the young voter.
As much as this election cycle is a TV saga of its own, it's the viewers tuning in on the Internet who are turning its wheels. The Obama campaign, in particular, has capitalized on the strong tie between technology and youth.
"Young people aren't in front of the TV at noon, 6 and 11. Instead, the sound bites, bloopers, blunders are all online," said Khari Mosley, 32, the national field director of the non-partisan League of Young Voters. The league works to engage young people, particularly those from minority groups who haven't come out to vote in the past.
"Young people can follow the news cycle in the same way as before, but now it's a different medium but the same info," said Mosley.
Video clips "Obama Speech: A More Perfect Union," which shows Obama's speech from Philadelphia last month on race in America, and "CBS exposes Hillary Clinton Bosnia trip," a segment from CBS News, rank at Nos. 4 and 16, respectively, for most viewed this month on the video-sharing website YouTube.
Since Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am released the music video version of Obama's "Yes We Can" speech in February after the New Hampshire primary, the clip on YouTube has almost 13 million hits from its four top postings.
Taking advantage of the tech trend, the Obama campaign - which is noted for capitalizing on the candidate's rhetoric of hope and inspiring unprecedented support from a young demographic - lured away one of Generation Y's Internet gurus.
Democratic presidential candidates Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama are the bitter enemy housemates, locked in what seems like a fight to the death - or at least until August - in this long-running reality TV show. Republican de facto candidate Sen. John McCain is lying low until the finale, gearing up to face his rival once their race is sorted out.
But there's one character in the mix whose innocence has been overrated and whose rising star power might give the final answer in the presidential election: the young voter.
As much as this election cycle is a TV saga of its own, it's the viewers tuning in on the Internet who are turning its wheels. The Obama campaign, in particular, has capitalized on the strong tie between technology and youth.
"Young people aren't in front of the TV at noon, 6 and 11. Instead, the sound bites, bloopers, blunders are all online," said Khari Mosley, 32, the national field director of the non-partisan League of Young Voters. The league works to engage young people, particularly those from minority groups who haven't come out to vote in the past.
"Young people can follow the news cycle in the same way as before, but now it's a different medium but the same info," said Mosley.
Video clips "Obama Speech: A More Perfect Union," which shows Obama's speech from Philadelphia last month on race in America, and "CBS exposes Hillary Clinton Bosnia trip," a segment from CBS News, rank at Nos. 4 and 16, respectively, for most viewed this month on the video-sharing website YouTube.
Since Black Eyed Peas member Will.i.am released the music video version of Obama's "Yes We Can" speech in February after the New Hampshire primary, the clip on YouTube has almost 13 million hits from its four top postings.
Taking advantage of the tech trend, the Obama campaign - which is noted for capitalizing on the candidate's rhetoric of hope and inspiring unprecedented support from a young demographic - lured away one of Generation Y's Internet gurus.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Jdub
posted 4/22/08 @ 12:54 PM EST
Hey! You guys forgot about The College Voter! www.thecollegevoter.com
Information specifically for college students, by college students. I feel like they should be included in the "student digital voting movement" too. (Continued…)
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