This correlates well with the authors' earlier indication from existing surveys, that a large amount of voters made decisions to vote for or against a candidate on the strength of information found online.
The authors also found that more informal means of information dissemination, such as blogs and YouTube, were very effective in terms of winning support for rallies. The main reason for this is the increasing access of the public to the new media. Ultimately, the authors found that politicians who used the new media in creative and effective ways were those who also won the most votes. Although the new media are certainly not the only influencing factor in determining the success or failure of a candidate, its prevalence in society today can hardly be overstated. Particularly, the political purposes of raising money, organizing volunteers and spreading information are areas in which the new media excel.
The research...
The main assumption is that more and more members of the voting public will gain access to the new media as prices become increasingly reasonable with advancing technology. At the same time, Internet technology will continually improve; a factor that candidates can use to their advantage. Based on the data regarding the effectiveness of Internet use for certain politicians, the authors then conclude that even slow adapters will ultimately have to make use of the new media if their campaigns' level of success dictates this. These assumptions are both logical and appropriate, as they are based upon the research data obtained, as well as the historical trends revealed by surveys and other literature.
