Obama and the Digital Age in the 2008 Election

My project will study Barack Obama's use of the Internet in the 2008 presidential election. Barack was the first president to successful use the Internet and social media in his campaign and win the election because of it. We've become accustomed to seeing the use of social media in the 2016 election, but it's important to understand where it all began. Three-quarters (74%) of Internet users went online during the 2008 election to take part in, or get news and information about the 2008 campaign, according to the Pew Research Center. 

This was a drastic shift as people started to receive their news online instead using traditional media such as television and newspapers. These platforms served as usefully and accessible way to reach "more people without the filter of the traditional media, target its audience with precision and receive almost immediate feedback.”  

My project will be organized into a newsletter with short essays or one large essay on the different aspects of Obama's 2008 campaign. Some of the major points in my project will include:

• The overall shift from traditional media to the Internet during the 2008 election
• Technology on Voting Day
• Social Media and Civic Engagement