Managing Voter Impressions: The Use of Images on Presidential Candidate Web Sites During the 2000 Campaign

Abstract

Presidents Kennedy, Reagan, and Clinton mastered of art of using television to manage impressions in the television age. With the advent of the Internet, recent presidential campaigns have begun to recognize the potential of this medium in shaping images and managing impressions among voters. This study focuses on the 2000 presidential election and the images of the presidential candidates appearing on their official campaign Web sites. It also evaluates the visual strategies the candidates used and the overall themes of the images. Each candidate appeared to present campaign photographs in ways that may have been orchestrated to enhance their appeal and reverse negative media portrayals.