From “Barack the Vote” apparel made by Barackawear to John McCain on “The Tonight Show,” information about the election and its candidates is becoming easier to access, even for those who are not politically savvy.
Political figures now appear on a variety of television shows and Web sites as popular culture becomes an integral part of politics.
The increased ease of accessing information from non-traditional sources isn’t necessarily good for candidates, especially when their flaws, rather than their views, are being scrutinized.
In addition to traditional hard news programs, such as those on CNN or Fox News, candidates can be seen on talk shows across the entertainment board and on videos streaming online for those who miss the initial airing.
Talk shows and other entertainment programs that are not traditional news sources are often known as “soft news” programs, and they focus less on the issues than on the candidates themselves.
“Candidates, if they’re smart, they’ll go on “˜Oprah,’ and those kinds of shows. First of all, the way candidates are portrayed on those shows is appealing. They’re typically soft, not hardball interviews. David Letterman and Jon Stewart being the exceptions,” said Tim Groeling, an assistant professor of communications studies at UCLA.
These programs target and are meant to sway undecided voters who would not go out of their way to find out about politics, he added. They are more likely to watch shows like the “Late Show with David Letterman” or “Saturday Night Live,” which are more entertainment-based than traditional hard news programs.
“There’s definitely an association with how much a person enjoys the show and with how much they like that person. … It gives the air that the candidate is down to earth, especially here in L.A., that’s what people come here to do. It’s the American dream in that sense, more than their bid for president,” said Alex Funk, a fourth-year microbiology immunology and molecular genetics student.
Traditionally, it is more expensive to campaign to younger voters, and they are less likely to turn out than older voters, which is why when deciding where to spend campaign money, candidates are more likely to use it on older voters, Groeling said.
With the popularity of social networking Web sites like Facebook and MySpace, politics can be integrated into areas not generally used for news. Candidates can now create their own profiles to further extend their campaigns to Internet users.
“Facebook and MySpace are exceptionally cheap,” Groeling said.
“Most of the heavy lifting is done by peers … trying to get friends to join groups. When friends do something, a lot of times it’s more persuasive, and they’re more likely to take action. This campaign cycle is the first one where I think the youth of America is able to be reached by campaigns very cheaply.”
Funk said he thinks that political Facebook groups are generally joined by people who already support a cause, rather than by people who are unfamiliar with a candidate or an issue.
Alicia Park, a fourth-year political science student, said she thinks that Facebook pages probably only have surface-level information, but are helpful in letting people know basic information about the candidates.
YouTube and similar Web sites have also increased access to news and political videos such as “Saturday Night Live” skits featuring Tina Fey as Sarah Palin. Popular clips and sketches are often viewed online rather than on TV, the primary source, Groeling said.
The secondary redistribution causes certain videos and events to have a large impact, while others go virtually unnoticed, he added.
Increased access to news and election information does not always work in a candidate’s favor.
Spoofs on “Saturday Night Live” that are more widely viewed than the initial event can be more damaging than they would have been without the increased coverage. For example, a sketch about a relatively isolated statement made by Congressman John Murtha about “redneck” western Pennsylvania being too racist to vote for Obama may cost him re-election as a result of its integration into popular culture, Groeling said.
In a study he did on the 2000 presidential election using the 2000 National Election Study, Matthew Baum, an associate professor of political science at UCLA, found that soft news programs target and effectively reach a specific type of voter.
Also known as the “Oprah Effect,” politically inattentive citizens choose between getting their information from soft news programs or not getting information at all, the report said.
“For politically inattentive individuals, watching political coverage in such soft news outlets as “˜The Oprah Winfrey Show’ can make the difference between voting one’s convictions and not,” he wrote in the report.
According to the study, citizens who choose to watch only soft news programs, in comparison to those who don’t watch any news, are more likely to vote for the candidate who matches their personal beliefs the closest. This suggests that soft news can give voters some political proficiency.
Voters who are knowledgeable about the election and receive information from multiple sources are less likely to be swayed by what they view on hard or soft news programs than politically inattentive citizens.
“They’re wading through party mailers, visiting candidates’ Web sites, debating issues with friends and maybe even attending candidates’ forums. They’ve got information coming at them from all directions, so no one source is overwhelmingly influential,” Baum wrote in the report.
Election coverage can be increasingly found on non-traditional news programs and channels such as “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Oprah” and MTV.
YouTube is home to countless political videos ranging from official commercials and news clips to video bloggers who want to express their views.
Richard Chhuon, a fourth-year Southeast Asian studies student, said he thinks a lot of soft news shows are clever propaganda that are more for entertainment, though they do encourage the youth to vote.
“I feel like they’re biased. It’s not the whole scope of each candidate, but more what they think is right and want to impose on their viewers,” he said.
“MTV and BET play their role for the younger generation to be conscious of the election and to get them to vote. I feel it’s effective.”
Houtan Homaizad, a third-year political science student, said he thinks that the effects of pop culture and the media are negative because the election is a serious matter.
“It shouldn’t be a popularity contest. It’s who’s best for the job and won’t run the economy into the gutter,” he said.