political communication

1401 Words3 Pages

It is notoriously accepted that there is no single precise definition of political communication since ‘political’ and ‘communication’ themselves have varieties of definition. In order to critically discuss the changes that the Internet has brought to political communication, this essay is going to define political communication as purposeful communications about politics (McNair, 2011: 4). As McNair (2011:6) and Norris (2010) state that political communication involves the interactive process between political organizations, media and citizens. Moreover, media is a crucial element that links political organizations and citizens in various ways. The downward communication from political organizations to citizens, horizontal communication between parties, public organizations, pressure groups, terrorist organizations and governments and upward communication from citizen to political organizations all require media to disseminate the information. Media comprises print, broadcasting and online channels. With the development of information technology and Internet, online channels are becoming increasingly significant for political communication. This essay particularly focuses on changes that Internet has brought to political communication. Firstly, some positive impacts that Internet has brought to political communication will be explained. Secondly, this essay is going to demonstrate several negative effects on political communication that coincide with the expansion use of Internet by politician. Specific examples of how politicians use Internet in political communication will be utilized to analyze these changes. To begin with, this essay is going to expound the positive changes that Internet has brought to public citizens by ex... ... middle of paper ... ...n the issue of corruption, Chinese government has announced a white paper, which encourages anti-corruption activities through Internet (Chao, 2010). Public monitor or tip offs can be achieved through Internet. This is a way that politicians use Internet as a tool in political communication to oppose corruption. In addition, Internet can convey some politicians’ personal preferences to public and win some potential supporters. For example, Cameron posted a tweet to glorify what David Beckham has down for England in 2013. Such kind of tweet enables citizens to know more about Cameron and potentially wins Beckham’s fan’s supports even though they did not vote for Cameron previously. To conclude, Internet serves as a new platform for politicians to do political advertising and circulates abundant and positive information to prevent slanderous competition and corruption.

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