Title: The New Media’s Role in Politics | OpenMind
Headings: The New Media’s Role in Politics
The New Media’s Role in Politics
The diversity of content disseminated by new media has created opportunities such as the ability for more voices to be heard.
The Evolution of New Media
Members of the public also were responsible for recording and posting videos that could go viral and influence the course of events.
Providing Political Information
Post-Truth Media
The Ascendance of Fake News
Objective facts are subordinate to emotional appeals and personal beliefs in shaping public opinion.
Watchdog Press or Politicians’ Mouthpiece
Conclusion
References

Content: Initially, the public responded positively to the more accessible communication channels, calling in to political talk programs and participating in online town hall meetings. However, new media’s authentic populist potential was undercut by the fact that the new political media system evolved haphazardly, with no guiding principles or goals. It was heavily dominated by commercial interests and those already holding privileged positions in politics and the news industry. Public enthusiasm eventually gave way to ambivalence and cynicism, especially as the novelty of the first phase of new media wore off (Davis and Owen, 1998). The next phase in the development of new media unfolded in conjunction with the application of emerging digital communications technologies to politics that made possible entirely new outlets and content delivery systems. The digital environment and the platforms it supports greatly transformed the political media system. Beginning in the mid-1990s, new political media platforms quickly progressed from the rudimentary “brochureware” website, used by Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign in 1992, to encompass sites with interactive features, discussion boards, blogs, online fundraising platforms, volunteer recruitment sites, and meet-ups. The public became more involved with the actual production and distribution of political content. Citizen journalists were eyewitnesses to events th