Presidential Election in the US 2012: Influence of new media on political campaigns

The Thesis deals with the influence of new media on the organization of a political campaign. It is based on theories of political communication and new media, which it compares with real usage of these media during the US presidential campaign in 2012. The Thesis is divided into three parts; first of which deals with the theoretical framework of new media and political communication, including an outline of historic development and greatest changes that have occurred since 1950s. In second part, the system and milestones of American presidential elections are characterized, as they are very different from European elections. Both campaigns, Republican and Democratic, are also described. The last chapter is concerned with a particular usage of new media in both campaigns -- individual subchapters include depiction of presidential debates, which are an important part of the election process, international image of both candidates, negative campaigning distributed mainly by new media, and specific usage of new and social media by campaign teams. Volunteers constitute an integral part of the American voting system, which is why one subchapter describes their pursuits and organization