This was a particularly interesting post and for the most part a well thought out and relevant piece. I’m not in total agreement with some of the conclusions you have drawn, namely, that politicians would be ill-advised to employ Howard’s straight talking techniques and rely more on emotional resonance. I think online political campaigning is too new an initiative to be able to draw any such conclusions and what limited evidence that does exist does not seem to back up that theory. For Kevin Rudd, who of course went on to win the election, also employed the use of a YouTube Video that was much the same stylistically as Howard’s.
Barack Obama too has not been completely reliant on emotive videos and has released various ‘straight talking’ videos of his own.
A number of politicians across the world have spoken out about the advantages of online campaigning citing that it gives them “a chance speak directly to their constituents and potential supporters” (Hendry, 2007). This ability to appear to be speaking directly to individual voters is further evidence of the empowerment people are gaining through interactive technologies and I suspect that the direct, fact over entertainment addresses will continue to be a weapon in the political arsenal.
Hendry, A. 2007. Google Throws Hat into Election 07: Gives Pollies, Voters a Voice Computer World (Online):
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