Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in subsequent chapters of this book. The book explores what modern mediated elections look and sound like and how the campaigns themselves attempt to shape these elemental communication processes. It explores the survey of ever-changing media landscape in the context of elections in the United States. The book examine how campaigns have adapted to these changes in terms of "earned media" and "paid media" strategies. The media landscape in the United States has shifted dramatically in the past few years, and the pace of change is breathtaking. Talk shows on cable television and radio attract relatively small, narrow audiences of like-minded people who seek out opinionated analysis of elections on a national and sometimes state level. The changing media environment has important implications for campaign strategy. Social media platforms make the communication process more horizontal, empowering activists, volunteers and voters to provide and share a larger portion of information.