The Impact of the Internet on Politics: The “Net Effect” on Political Campaigns and Elections

The Internet is now one of the most popular media outlets for campaigning and elections, and may soon be used for electronic voting. The scope of this paper is to examine the impact of the Internet on American politics relative to campaigns and elections by conducting the relevant literature review and synthesis. It will attempt to follow the progression of the Internet’s role in politics, and identify both positive and negative impacts. It will assess what the Internet has changed, and conversely, what it has not changed and study the impact of the Internet in terms of candidates, strategists, media, citizens, and activists.