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The Politics of the Internet

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Title: The Politics of the Internet


1
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs, Politics and the Media
  • Blogs (weblogs) a new form of publishing
    somewhere between an online diary and a
    collection of op-eds.
  • Have begun to play an important role as an
    alternative medium of communication.
  • Millions of blogs out there on a huge variety of
    topics how do they affect politics?

2
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • This weeks lecture blogs affect politics
    through two key channels.
  • Indirect effects through their influence on
    other media (primarily print media).
  • Direct effects to a lesser extent, have
    political consequences in their own right.
  • Influencing political decisions.
  • Organizing political action.

3
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IILecture Outline
  • Studying blogs and the blogosphere.
  • Examining their direct consequences for politics.
  • Direct
  • Indirect
  • Case-studies
  • Trent Lott affair
  • Dan Rather affair
  • Sinclair broadcasting
  • Social security
  • Conclusions
  • Consequences in current elections
  • Polarizing influence?
  • Long term implications.

4
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIWhat is a blog?
  • Difficult to define a blog in precise terms.
  • Web page with minimal to no external editing,
    providing on-line commentary, periodically
    updated and presented in reverse chronological
    order, with hyperlinks to other online sources
  • But some blogs dont fit this description very
    well, while other webpages which arent blogs do.
  • To some extent, a question of self-identification
    a website which identifies itself as a blog
    probably is.
  • Most blogs have separate posts, and a blogroll
    of external links as well as links within each
    post.

5
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6
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • Blogs are relatively recent phenomena.
  • Term coined by Jorn Barger of Robot Wisdom
    (defunct early weblog).
  • First blogs were collations of links to whats
    interesting on the web, with occasional
    comments.
  • But minority pursuit less than 50 blogs by the
    end of 1999.

7
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • Blogs began to grow exponentially from 2000 on.
  • Aided by access to software that made it super
    easy to blog even if you didnt know HTML.
  • Blogger.com (Blogspot) where most bloggers cut
    their teeth.

8
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • Now perhaps 200 million blogs out there. Cover
    a wide variety of different topics.
  • Knitting, diaries, politics, technology, writing.
  • Political blogs have become increasingly
    important over the last two years.

9
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10
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • How do blogs have influence?
  • In order to understand this, we need to look more
    closely at the political economy of the
    blogosphere (the universe of blogs).
  • Blogs should not be conceived in isolation like
    many other topics we cover this semester, their
    effectiveness depends on the network that they
    are embedded in.

11
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • Huge disparities in the blogosphere between more
    popular and less popular bloggers.
  • More popular bloggers have many incoming links
    and readers.
  • Less popular bloggers may have few or no incoming
    links, and very few readers (friends their dog).

12
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IISkewed distribution of links
13
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • This has a number of key implications for the
    relationship between blogs and politics.
  • (1) Some blogs count a lot more than others.
  • More readers, more influential readers.
  • (2) Less influential blogs can try to become more
    influential but their best way to do this is by
    getting big blogs to link to them.

14
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • Small blogs have an incentive to tell big blogs
    about interesting stories or viewpoints.
  • Norm of attribution means that big blog is likely
    to link back to the smaller blog if it goes with
    the story (thus bringing more readers to the
    small blog).
  • Big blogs have an incentive to play fair so
    that smaller blogs will continue to send good
    stories to them.

15
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • Similarly, readers will have an incentive to
    concentrate their (initial) attentions on big
    blogs.
  • They know that most interesting stories are
    likely to percolate through to the big blogs from
    the small ones.
  • Thus big blogs come to serve as a kind of filter
    for interesting stories.
  • They become the gatekeepers between the
    blogosphere and the outside world of readers.

16
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIIndirect Effects
  • Blogs can have very important indirect effects on
    politics through influencing the media.
  • There is substantial evidence to suggest that the
    media is paying more and more attention to blogs
    (especially the bigger ones).
  • Reporters and op-ed columnists say that they read
    blogs and that these blogs sometimes influence
    what they write.

17
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and the Media
  • What does the mainstream media look for in
    blogs?
  • Not usually new stories or information. (bloggers
    arent reporters usually rely on the media for
    information, although some bloggers have expert
    knowledge).
  • Instead look for new viewpoints, new ways of
    spinning stories or events, stories that perhaps
    should have been given more play in the
    mainstream media, but werent.

18
How blogs influence journalists
  • Thomas Edsall (Washington Post)
  • We in journalism, there is an orthodoxy to our
    thinking. Blogs can break the ice and make it
    clear that there is something pretty strange or
    pretty unique or pretty interesting or pretty
    awful about something They open up a lot of
    doors.
  • Survey evidence suggests that 83 of journalists
    have used a blog, as opposed to 7 of the general
    public.

19
Other elite actors
  • Other elite actors besides journalists read
    blogs, and are influenced by them.
  • Federal court clerks
  • Political activists
  • Senate/House aides
  • Senators? Congresscritters?

20
Roberts confirmation
  • Cornyn at Roberts hearing
  • this hearing is a subject of a lot of activity
    and interest in the blogosphere. One of these
    blogs said that your comparison of a judge to a
    baseball umpire reminded him of an old story
    about three different modes of judicial reasoning
    built on the same analogy. First, was the umpire
    that says some are balls and some are strikes,
    and I call them the way they are. The second
    umpire says some are balls and some are strikes,
    and I call them the way I see them. The third
    said Some are balls and some are strikes, but
    they ain't nothing till I call them. Well, I
    don't know whether it's a fair question to ask
    you which of those three types of umpires
    represents your preferred mode of judicial
    reasoning. But I wonder if you have any comment
    about that.
  • Role of blogs in Miers nomination

21
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIDirect effects
  • Increasingly, blogs are coming to have direct
    effects too on politics.
  • Surveys suggest that 32 million Americans read
    blogs.
  • Still a minority but in the future, they may
    not need to rely on the media to shape politics.
  • Might communicate ideas directly to the public
    and thus shape public perceptions of the issues
    at stake.

22
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • Blogs have been used to raise money for
    candidates and for political parties.
  • Much more common on left than right.
  • While interesting, not enough money to change
    national races (but may have real local
    influence).
  • More interestingly, blogs have begun to organize
    direct action in order to pressure businesses,
    parties and individuals to take actions that they
    otherwise might not take.

23
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • Again, big blogs play a key role here.
  • Serve to aggregate information and resources.
  • Direct readers (and other bloggers) to take
    specific actions, providing necessary information
    (email addresses, mail addresses, phone numbers
    etc).
  • Report on results of actions, changing tactics as
    appropriate to meet changing needs (perhaps
    changing targets over time).

24
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIDirect and indirect combined
  • Increasingly, blogs combine both forms of action.
  • Indirect action efforts to interest media in a
    particular outrage, or even to influence media
    directly (especially common on right).
  • Direct action efforts to take effective action
    against this outrage by boycotting, organizing
    protests, etc etc.

25
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • 4 brief case studies in blogs and politics.
  • Trent Lott affair.
  • Dan Rather affair.
  • Sinclair media boycott.
  • Alberto Gonzales resignation.

26
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IITrent Lott affair
  • Excellent example of how blogs can exercise
    indirect influence.
  • Trent Lott made comments at Strom Thurmonds
    birthday party indicating that he supported
    Thurmonds racist, segregationist past policies.
  • This was not picked up properly by mainstream
    media (mentioned briefly on ABC TV, and in ABCs
    The Note, but died).
  • However, two weeks later to the day, Lott
    resigned as Senate Majority Leader. Why?
  • In large part because of blogs.

27
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Trent Lott
  • Blogs picked up on the Trent Lott, story,
    beginning with Timothy Noah in Slate, and rapidly
    spreading out through the left blogosphere.
  • Right wing blogs (Glenn Reynolds Instapundit,
    Andrew Sullivans Daily Dish) began to pick up on
    the story too, and demand that Lott resign.
  • This prompted newspaper journalists (Edsall at
    the Washington Post) to pick up the story again
    and investigate it properly.

28
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IITrent Lotts Resignation
  • Within a few days, there was a media firestorm
    while blogs had provoked the initial reaction, it
    only really began to be politically salient when
    mainstream media picked it up.
  • Lott sought to explain and to apologize (first
    through his spokesman, then in person on Black
    Entertainment Television), but did a very bad
    job.
  • Republican party began to canvas for an
    alternative Senate leader and pushed Lott into
    resigning his position.

29
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIDan Rather affair
  • On September 8, Dan Rather ran a story on CBS
    claiming that it had memos showing that George W.
    Bush had gotten preferential treatment in the
    Texas National Air Guard.
  • This could have had important consequences for
    the election.
  • However, it swiftly became clear that there were
    problems with the memos.
  • Their provenance was fishy, and they appeared to
    have been typed using modern equipment, rather
    than the kinds of typewriter available in the
    1970s.

30
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIMS-Word and Typewriters
  • This was established relatively quickly by right
    wing blogs in the immediate aftermath of the 60
    minutes episode.
  • Showed that it was possible to recreate the
    documents quite easily using MS-Word.
  • In some ways, a perfect story for bloggers
    (Steven Berlin Johnson) they didnt have to
    stray very far from their keyboard to do the
    necessary research.

31
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • Dan Rather and CBS tried to maintain the
    veracity of their story over the following days.
  • Again story made its way into the mainstream
    media, and became much more politically topical
    when it did.
  • But facts continued to come out that suggested
    problems (CBS own experts were unsure at best
    the documents had come from someone with a known
    grudge against Bush).
  • Within a couple of weeks, Dan Rather resigned.
  • After an internal investigation, CBS fired others
    involved in producing the show.

32
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IISinclair broadcasting group boycott
  • Sinclair Broadcasting Group announced in October
    that it would require affiliate stations to
    broadcast Stolen Honor, a documentary attacking
    John Kerry.
  • Had previously refused to broadcast an episode of
    Nightline with names and photographs of troops
    killed in Iraq war.
  • Caused some public criticism but story died
    down quickly.

33
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IITalking Points Memo and others
  • However, Josh Marshalls Talking Points Memo, a
    popular left wing blog, decided to organize a
    boycott along with other prominent left wing
    blogs (borrowed an idea from a smaller blog, the
    Left Coaster).
  • Another individual formed a website called
    BoycottSBG.com.
  • Other blogs took up the story and started
    spinning it to mainstream media.

34
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • BoycottSBG.com proved a key resource a list of
    advertisers on Sinclair with contact details.
  • Encouraged readers to contact advertisers and
    (politely) deplore their relationship with
    Sinclair stations.
  • Also targetted pension funds with investments in
    Sinclair.

35
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Politics
  • Caused a substantial fall in Sinclairs
    stock-price and a backing down by Sinclairs
    management.
  • Sinclair recast the documentary, so that it would
    give a less biased and more scrupulous account of
    Kerrys war record.
  • The coalition of bloggers and others who had
    targetted Sinclair evaporated swiftly, declaring
    victory.
  • Here, emphasis was not on framing the issues for
    the mainstream media but on direct action
    against Sinclair.

36
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IISocial Security
  • 2006 battle surrounding Social Security.
  • Again, Josh Marshalls Talking Points Memo and
    other left wing blogs had interesting political
    consequences.
  • For the Democrats to win their battle on Social
    Security, they had to
  • (a) avoid any defections on their side on Social
    Security.
  • (b) try to break down the Republican coalition in
    the Senate and Congress on Social Security.

37
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIBlogs and Framing
  • First, left-wing blogs (TPM, Brad DeLong, Matt
    Yglesias) created new ways of framing the issues
    of Social Security.
  • Suggested that it involves incompatible
    assumptions about growth.
  • These frames were taken up in the media, via
    pundits like Paul Krugman who had strong
    connections to the blogosphere.
  • And then became established as legitimate points
    of view in the media debate on the topic.

38
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIName and Shame
  • Second, Talking Points Memo named Democratic
    politicians who appeared to be considering
    supporting Social Security reform and shamed
    them into backing down.
  • Also highlighted Republicans who are against
    reform.
  • This had clear effects the Democratic party saw
    far fewer defections than in similar instances in
    the first administration and some Democratic
    politicians thanked the blogs for this.
  • Both indirect and direct methods were used.
  • This time it was the Democrats but there is no
    reason why the Republicans and right leaning
    blogs cant do the same thing.
  • Porkbusters campaign.

39
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIConclusions
  • What are the long term implications of blogs for
    politics?
  • Some interesting implications.
  • Lowering of costs to voice.
  • Polarization of politics?
  • Replacement of traditional gatekeepers.
  • Changing in norms of journalism.
  • Lowering of transaction costs for political
    action.
  • Limits of blogs.
  • Advent of new technologies (YouTube)

40
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IINew Voices
  • Blogs are making it far cheaper for everyday
    citizens to engage in political communication.
  • All you need is five minutes to set your blog up
    and you can publish.
  • New technologies such as Youtube add new
    possibilities.
  • In some ways resembles 18th century
    pamphleteering.
  • A raucous, rancorous, but lively political
    debate, with all the strengths and weaknesses
    that this implies.
  • May sometimes produce interesting policy insights
    as in Social Security debate (even if you dont
    agree with the blogs, they have still made a
    serious intellectual contribution to current
    arguments on the topic).

41
Blogs and polarization
  • Blogs (together with other forms of media) may be
    leading to an increase in political polarization.
  • Evidence suggests that there are few genuinely
    centrist blogs in the US.
  • Blogs on the left of the spectrum tend to link to
    other left-wingers, and blogs on the right of the
    spectrum to other right-wingers.

42
Source Glance and Adamic (2005)
43
Cyberbalkanization?
  • Cass Sunstein argues that when like-minded
    people talk to each other, they tend to reinforce
    each others prejudices.
  • Result increased polarization, and the creation
    of mutually exclusive political universes.
  • Some evidence though mixed that blogs are
    contributing to this.
  • Mixed views as to whether this is a good thing.

44
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45
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIReplacement of gatekeepers
  • Some bloggers claim that this is a new and more
    accountable form of journalism.
  • Dont bet on it.
  • Old gatekeepers are losing power.
  • CBS forced to back down Eason Jordan
    resignation.
  • But bloggers themselves are becoming new
    gatekeepers especially the elite bloggers.
  • There is no obvious restraint on them
    especially given ideological divisions of the
    blogosphere.
  • May lead to problems of accountability as lines
    between citizen and journalist blur Obama and
    Clinton stories.

46
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIChanging norms
  • As blogs become more influential, they are
    affecting journalistic norms.
  • Less emphasis on always giving two sides to the
    story.
  • Less deference to established powers and cosy
    relationships.
  • But also see some problems of their own.
  • Easy to slip ringers in (Thunes bloggers in
    South Dakota).
  • Less direct accountability (bloggers relations
    with both Democratic and Republican party).

47
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IIDirect democratic action
  • Blogs can empower direct democratic action, as
    in Sinclair story.
  • Can also directly affect politicians incentives
    through providing information and pressuring
    them.
  • Yet to be seen whether this can be maintained
    over sustained periods of time.
  • But an interesting augur for the future.

48
The Politics of the Internet Lecture Five
IILimits of blogs
  • Still, blogs have clear limits.
  • Limited information gathering abilities except
    for a few experts (and new blog/newspaper
    hybrids), these are guys in pajamas.
  • Often fundamentally dependent on the media even
    when they claim to despise it.
  • Unrepresentative in many ways prominent
    bloggers tend to be white, upper middle class,
    and male.
  • Often more interested in ideological pointscoring
    than in the practice of politics lively, but
    certainly only an imperfect example of
    deliberation and debate.

49
Advent of YouTube
  • YouTube is starting to be a highly important
    force in politics may eclipse blogs in the long
    run.
  • May have more direct consequences for politics
    than blogs do.
  • Many more people watch TV than read serious
    articles about politics.
  • Similarly, people may be more willing to watch
    short video clips (if emailed to them etc) than
    to read earnest blog posts.

50
George Allen and Macaca Controversy
  • During his senatorial re-election campaign, Sen.
    George Allen used the term macaca to refer to a
    camera operator employed by the Webb campaign.
  • This blew into a major political controversy
    thanks in large part to YouTube.
  • Claims that this was a racist term.
  • Helped lead to a major upset, the election of
    Webb and a changeover in control of the Senate.

51
New uses of YouTube
  • Has become key means for both campaigns to get
    message out in 2008.
  • Cheap and easy way of making video press releases
    that may get wider pick-up.
  • Also allows for differentiating between
    audiences.
  • But this may change as TV shifts towards
    Internet.
  • 2012 will be very interesting
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