The article “New media battleground challenges convention,” by Nick O’Malley, takes a look at the ways that the changing media has impacted the Democratic and Republican conventions. http://www.smh.com.au/world/new-media-battleground-challenges-convention-20120904-25c51.html It cites a survey that found that people likely to vote watched half of the convention coverage on DVR or direct streaming. The implication of this is that traditional television advertisements are not having the impact they used to have. That could be a problem for the candidates, given how much they spend on television ads. It cites additional research that found purchase recommendations from social media sites had a greater impact than advertising. It is thought that this could also apply to political decisions.
This is an interesting perspective. As the media evolves, we need to adapt with it. Social media played a larger part in Obama’s election than any other president in history. His knowledgeable application of social media gave him an edge. Older methods of advertising, such as television broadcasts, are being replaced with online forms. It is not only people who need to evolve with the media, but older forms of media, as well. It might even be that online ads are doing to television ads what online news has been doing to printed news. I have never seen this discussion brought up until now. I wasn’t even aware that online advertising was impacting television ads in such a way. It is just another sign of the immense impact new technology has on the media.
Multimedia Writing 
This is something I had never given much thought to, either. With this year’s election coming up, the social media front has been so much more involved than four years ago–almost to the point of being overwhelming at times! All the posts, tweets, etc.
One thing online advertising has an advantage on television or print advertising is how ads target specific users. Online ads can pull words from someone’s interests or “likes” to cater ads toward that user. Television and print advertising has to remain a lot broader in terms of reaching potential buyers.
The election has also tapped into the technology online advertising is using. Even political ads are becoming more individualized based on what information a user has provided.