Journalists and commentators have announced that a “new era is beginning” for American politics. But what, exactly, does that mean? Well, of course, the answer to that question depends on whom you ask. Here, some predictions from around the web.
New Media Will Replace Old Media
In 2010, Americans arrived at a media-consumption tipping point. A survey released by Forrester, an independent research analysis company, revealed that Americans spent as many hours online as they did in front of their televisions.
This shift should mean a lot to anyone, especially politicians who want to reach an audience said Mashable writer Matt Silverman:
“Print and radio ads are not as valuable as TV. TV will no longer be as valuable as interactive media. For politics, this is especially so, as the arena (at its best, anyway) warrants engagement and discussion.
As media appetites shift, this is an inevitability. In the U.S., we’re already seeing web use catch up with television in terms of weekly hours spent. Political money will simply go where the eyeballs are, and we’re likely to see a big payoff on social creativity when it comes to future campaigns.”
The Candidates Will Appear Live Via Hologram
In India’s 2014 prime minister election, Narendra Modi of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party campaigned using hologram technology that allowed him to hold 100 rallies simultaneously. The Telegraph reported that Modi had used the technology to give six speeches at 1,450 rallies, thereby reaching more than 14 million extra voters.
Modi’s futuristic approach to electoral success worked: He won.
Several months after the victory, Bloomberg News declared “Campaigning Via Hologram Is Coming to the U.S.,” saying:
“HologramUSA, a company claiming the U.S. rights to the technology that created the Modi holograms in India, has opened an office in Washington, D.C. Its first step, of course, was to hire a lobbyist. Hologram’s man on the ground is Jeffrey Taylor, of U.S. Government Relations International, who served as chief of staff for former Republican Representative David McIntosh.”
According to Bloomberg, Taylor’s vision at the time was for “2016 conventions where holograms of Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy address the party faithful.”
We know, of course, that neither of these past presidents’ images made a holograph appearance at either convention. However, this technology clearly has its sights set on the political arena.
