Change is Coming

It is the day after the election, and this will be my final blog for the semester, but most likely not the last blog that I will ever write. Being a part of the Journalism 495 Debate Internship class has been a great experience for me, and having the Debate This, Ole Miss blog as a vehicle to express my opinion has been surprisingly nice and hopefully it has been nice for others who have participated or who have read our work.

When I first received an email from the Honors College Interim Dean about the chance to be involved in the Debate through a journalism internship and receive honors college credit, I was a little apprehensive, but then I realized what a great opportunity I was being offered. I talked to my advisor to see if I could work it into my schedule and once we saw that we could, I immediately signed up. I was lucky enough to work with the CBS network pool and learn all about media production for big events such as the debate. I also made some great friends and great contacts that I hope to visit in New York when I take my honors college senior trip.

Another main reason I took the journalism internship class was to help me figure out what I wanted to focus on for my honors college senior thesis. I was interested in the Internet and wanted to incorporate the election, but I am a Marketing Communications major so I was not sure how to do that. Then it all came together. I am now researching negative political advertising and its evolution from television to the Internet. I am focusing on blogs, social networks, and other online forums that have reinforced negativity in political advertisements, and I am also researching how credible these sources are perceived to be by people. Being a part of a political blog has given me some good perspective of how the Internet affects campaigning.

I have learned so much from this experience. It has been the first election that I have voted in and been actively involved. I understand so much more about politics and the environment and know that I will stay more engaged from now on.

What I have learned mostly and continue to learn as I work on my thesis is that change is coming. I am happy that Barack Obama will be our next President. America and our world are ready for change. And from working on my thesis, I have learned that the world of marketing especially political marketing is changing especially due to technological advancements and the Internet, and all of us from this class have been a part of that as we have engaged ourselves in the world of political blogging.