New Media and American Politics (Transforming American Politics)

317 Pages·1998·17.84 MB·English

by  Richard Davis, Diana Owen

NEW MEDIA AND AMERICAN POLITICSTICS
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New Media
and
American Politics
Richard Davis
Diana Owen
New York Oxford
Oxford University Press
1998
Oxford University Press
Oxford New York
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Copyright © 1998 by Oxford University Press, Inc.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Davis, Richard, 1955-
New media and American politics / Richard Davis and Diana Owen.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-19-312060-4; 0-19-512061-2 (pbk)
1. Mass media—Political aspects—United States. 2. United
States—Politics and government—1993- 3. Mass media—Technological
innovations. I. Owen, Diana Marie. II. Title.
P95.82.U6D38 1998
302.230973—dc21 97-52291
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the Uni ted Stales of America
on acid-lrec paper-
To my children—Audrey, Jonathan, Romney, Bethany, and
Devin—the next generation, for whom new media will not be
new at all
Richard Davis
To Jeffrey
Diana Owen
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Preface
Mass communication in the United States is in a state of flux. "New
media," such as talk radio, television news magazines, electronic town
meetings, tabloids, MTV, and the Internet, convey political informa-
tion to the public in ways that depart, sometimes radically, with con-
vention. While no consensus has been reached about the wide rang-
ing implications of the new media's political presence, it is fair to say
that the new media have substantially altered the way that American
journalists operate, politics is conducted, and the public relates to
media, politicians, institutions, and political processes.
Debate over the new media's role, significance, and implications
for democratic governance has been sparked in academic and journal-
istic circles. Some argue that new media have the potential to be a
positive force in society. New media are the people's media, and as
such, they can generate interest in politics among apathetic citizens,
facilitate public discourse, and occasionally even stimulate political
participation. They also act as a check on the mainstream press,
which an increasing number of ordinary people perceive to be an elite
domain too closely aligned with politicians and government to play a
legitimate watchdog role.
Yet, the new media's political role, indeed their very existence, is
determined overwhelmingly by economic market forces to an extent
viii Preface
that exceeds even that of the profit-conscious media mainstream.
New media offerings depend on near-instant profitability, in many
cases, for survival. Talk radio programs, for example, are regularly
canceled and replaced with little warning when ratings drop. The eco-
nomic imperative that drives new media has direct implications for
content, and has caused these communication formats to privilege
entertainment over substance. New media have been a significant
contributing factor in the tabloidization of news and consequently the
trivialization of politics. While many new media provide more oppor-
tunities for public engagement and discussion, much of the discourse
is banal. New media rarely provide channels for genuine participa-
tion, but instead substitute ranting and venting for action.
After our examination of the evidence, we find that the latter
perspective has the most credence at present. However, new media
represent highly diverse forms of communication, and it is difficult
to generalize without finding exceptions. Electronic town meetings,
for example, have provided successful interchanges between the
public, candidates, and officials. In fact, the potential for most new
media to be positive forces in the polity is present by virtue of the
media formats and technologies themselves. Unfortunately, the pub-
lic service and democratizing possibilities for most new media are
undercut by the singleinindedness of the profit imperatives that
drive them.
The new media's political role is complex and dynamic. The goal
of this project is to begin sorting out the new media phenomenon. We
start by taking up the difficult task of defining new media and distin-
guishing them from the mainstream press. We discuss the evolution of
new media and the context which facilitated its emergence as a politi-
cal force. We then examine the content of and audiences for new me-
dia, the influence of the new media on the old media, and the role of
new media in election campaigns and in the policy arena. Our con-
cluding remarks focus on the implications of new media, especially in
terms of their ability to meaningfully contribute to a more participa-
tory democratic politics.
This project has benefited greatly from support and assistance
from a variety of sources. The College of Family, Home and Social
Sciences, and the Political Science Department at Brigham Young
University provided funding to complete this project. Students in Po-
litical Science 410 at BYU read all of the chapters and offered helpful
suggestions and comments on our ideas. Richard Davis thanks the
research assistants who assisted in the completion of this project:
Amy Bice, Anna Nibley, Stephanie Ord, Vincent James Strickler,
and Kristen Winmill. Diana Owen is grateful for the encouragement
of her Georgetown colleagues. She also appreciates the support of
her friends at the ABA and in the office of Congressman Ben Cardiii.
It has been a pleasure working with Thomas LcBien, our editor
Preface ix
at Oxford University Press, his assistant, Jeffrey Soloway, and Lisa
Stallings. We thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful and
insightful suggestions for improving the manuscript. We are appre-
ciative of the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press for
making their data available to us.
Completing a major project is never easy, and we are most fortu-
nate to have had the continual encouragement, support, and inspira-
tion of our families and friends.
Provo, Utah R. D.
Washington, D.C. D. O.
September, 1997