Taking Control of Information Overload
Can there ever be such a thing as too much information?
Looking at this year's presidential campaign, it seems that way. The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press reported that the intense Iowa coverage led many to say: “Too Much."
There are signs that some Americans are growing weary of the coverage. For the first time since the campaign began, about as many say the press has devoted too much coverage to the campaign as say the amount of coverage has been appropriate (40% vs. 43%). In previous surveys, sizable pluralities said news organizations were devoting the right amount of coverage to the campaign.
I suspect this information glut will only increase with time -- especially with another finding this time from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
The internet is living up to its potential as a major source for news about the presidential campaign. Nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) say they regularly learn something about the campaign from the internet, almost double the percentage from a comparable point in the 2004 campaign (13%).
That people are using blogs, YouTube, and Facebook to get their news shouldn’t come as a surprise to many of us.
What I did find interesting is the growing role that the Internet is playing for people and campaigns to communicate about politics. The same Pew study found that: "About one-in-six Americans (16%) have sent or received emails with friends and family regarding candidates and the campaign, and 14% have received email messages from political groups or organizations about the campaign."
Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project
It seems technology is helping good old word of mouth make a comeback: As pollsters Mark Mellman and Michael Bloomfield observed: "These conversations are more important than ever before. Public trust in all kinds of communication is eroding, with a notable exception: word of mouth."
They went on to report: "A Roper poll found the number of people who said they get good ideas and information from television ads declined from 1977 to 2003, while the number who said the same about word of mouth increased by 25 percentage points."
All these studies point in one direction. It isn't a question of the amount of information. The issue is both its source and means of distribution. When voters can shape its flow, they are not only more receptive, they feel more empowered in the political process. That may be little comfort for network executives and media consultants, but it may redefine how elections are waged and won.
Let me get back to you.
Technorati Tags: Pew Reasearch Center for the People and the Press; Pew Internet & American Life Project; Mark Mellman; Michael Bloomfield; Word of Mouth; 2008 Presidential Campaign;
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Joe Pulizzi
joe[at]junta42.com (Comment this)