eCommerce Times: Cyberspace Is Changing Political Advertising

Political analysts are coming to believe there's more to the profusion of political advertising online than merely the fact that it's an election year and the government hasn't gotten around to placing the same restrictions on it that it already does with TV and other media. The medium is being used as a cheap way to test messages, which is also why viewers see more varied and more extreme ads online. If it doesn't work, "you haven't wasted any media dollars on a message that's risky," said one wag. So far most campaigns have targeted their own base online, drumming up more fervent response, which they hope will translate into voter turnout and campaign contributions. But the party might not last too much longer. Senators Ron Wyden and Lindsey Graham introduced a bill last month that would make the web as regulated as TV in some ways for political advertising.