Microcasting and Nanocasting- The Shaping of Microtargeting
Microcasting & Nanocasting
This week, we as a class explored the text from "Air Wars" by Darrell M. West. West does an exceptional job introducing the concepts of microcasting and nanocasting, which align with this blog's topic of microcasting. Now, you may have noticed that there is varying terminology for ideas that seem very similar, but there are subtle differences between them.
The rise of the internet in 1991 transformed political advertising by enabling microcasting, a technique allowing campaigns to reach specific groups based on niche interests. Candidates like George W. Bush and Al Gore used this craft to gain a more precise way to influence voter turnout.
The 2004 Bush campaign, for example, targeted anti-gay marriage messages to conservative Black voters in Ohio, boosting his vote percentage enough to help win the state.
With the explosion of smartphones and social media in the 21st century, nanocasting emerged. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are used to target voters down to the individual level, often based on location and behavior.
During the 2012 election, ads for and against Paul Ryan appeared based on people's internet searches and spending habits alike- the deepest level of personalization used yet!
Nanocasting took yet another leap with geolocation technology. Campaigns like Michele Bachmann's used mobile ads to take people at events like the Minnesota State Fair, delivering incredibly specific messages about tax policies affecting fair food. Similarly, those who attend political rallies or even baseball games have received similar ads related to their location.
Research shows that social sharing, such as messages through platforms like Facebook, can influence more than just the person on the receiving end, but their friends and social circle as well. This ripple effect can be observed in Donald Trump's frequent use of Facebook Live in 2016 to speak directly to his supporters.
West, Darrell M. 2018a. Air Wars: Television Advertising and Social Media in Election Campaigns, 1952-2016. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE/CQ Press.
Hi Aislinn, It has been interesting to see how political advertisements have evolved from then to now! The algorithms web pages use to track our preferences have advanced rapidly to be very accurate. Understanding how politicians target voters is crucial to forming an educated opinion on candidates, as it allows one to go beyond the information candidates wish their potential voters to see.
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