ABSTRACT
The chapter analyzes political noise in the context of other genres of noise – from Futurist music to the sounds of industrialization, warfare, and amplified sonic assault – and theories of data noise drawn from statistician Nate Silver’s The Signal and the Noise. Political noise exists at the nexus of these theories. The most prominent campaign sound, that of applause, shouting, and cheering, borrows from tactics of aggressive, dominating noise used to control and manipulate auditors. This noise acts like music, piquing the emotions and presenting an affective narrative. It also provides opportunity for partisan response, for collective participatory engagement, even if the scope of response is severely limited. Reading noise from the bottom up places the production of political noise firmly in the hands of citizens who are co-participants in their own manipulation. Noise may be coordinated by the campaign, but it depends on attuned, enthusiastic citizens for its efficacy.
